A Happy Conclusion
by SillyThingsDoCeaseToBeSilly
Summary: 7ish. Used to be titled "This is how it went in my head" A fitting ending to my favorite couple in TV land. You let me know if I did better than the actual series finale
1. Chapter 1

**I want to thank you ahead of time for giving a moment to my little piece of fan fiction here. I'm sure I'm not the only one to try and lick their wounds by writing their own ending to the Luke and Lorelai story line. This is my 1****st**** fiction, try to not be scared by that. This is a chapter story but I assure you it's already completely outlined. I took some creative liberties I should mention, 1. April at the hospital, the character reference and Richard at the hospital all happen before Paris. 2. Liz is extremely pregnant, Lane has just found out about the twins and Sookie is not pregnant. 3. The Lorelai I know could never have said yes. Also, I of course don't own any rights to anything why else would I be posting here. Oh and if I had to rate this story I'd give it a T to keep the Gestapo at bay. Thanks again, here's to hoping you like it. **

There is comfort in home, Lorelai thinks to her self. Enjoying the familiar creak of the porch swing while fondly surveying the way the sun disappears just so behind the neighboring rooftops. She pulls the quilt on her lap further up her neck and breathes deep. Jet lag becoming a distant memory with each inhale. Its late fall, the colors of turning leaves is just a memory but there's a promise on the wind. The promise of winter and she reminds herself happily of snow.

A little green Prius pulls into the driveway. Its driver smiles tentatively through the windshield. She nervously debates the wisdom of planning to stay the whole weekend. Rory was tried of forced smiles and swallowed concerns. Especially here in the one place, with the one person, with whom it should be different. She slips out of the car, grabs her bag from the back seat and makes her way up the porch.

"Hey, Kid." Lorelai smiles.

"Hey, yourself." Rory drops her bag and leans comfortably against the porch rail opposite her mother, her eyes studying Lorelai's face. "How was Paris?" She opens, a calculated move. The question, innocent in nature was loaded. It was a challenge to reveal the real reason for her impromptu and impassioned invitation home.

"Very Parisian." Lorelai counters with a false air of calm. As if to drive that deception home, she casually brushes the hair from her face and cocks her head to the side, indicating it was now Rory's move.

"Mom?" Rory was done playing games.

"What? No small talk. It's my forte. Just think of all those wasted hours on the plane perfecting my 101 witticisms on a baguette and that was just the opening shtick . . ."

"No small talk." Rory insists. Her left hand nervously peeling the paint off the porch rail. Lorelai's attempts at light hearted repartee were transparent at best. Her desire to stall reinforcing Rory's desire to know. Lorelai sighs, resigned to her fate. She turns her head into the wind and takes one last breath of fall.

"Christopher proposed in Paris." It's whispered. As if, said softly, the blow to her daughter would likewise be soft.

"Proposed?" Rory's face pales. "Proposed marriage? What he figured third times the charm? What did you say? How did you answer him?" She demanded as her fingers grasp the rail to keep herself upright. "Oh my god, mother, tell me you didn't. . . ."

"Rory, take a deep breath." Lorelai looks up at her daughter, genuinely concerned.

"Mom?" Not wanting yet needing to know her mother's answer.

"It's PARIS." Lorelai accentuates each syllable for emphasis. "The chips are stacked. It's like cheating. The city lights up like a disco ball. There's music in the air. Don't ask me where it's coming from because I haven't a freaking clue. Your stomachs already spinning because you just ate a ton of some incredibly rich food. It's like magic. Presto, instant romance. A perfect moment."

Lorelai avoided her daughter's eyes as she recounted the moment by way of explanation. If she had been able to look at Rory she would have seen how she adamantly shook her head no.

"Only it wasn't. I can actually see the damned Eiffel tower in the distance and Christopher is offering me the rock of Gibraltar along with everything I thought I wanted. But, I felt horrible."

"Mom." Rory interjects softly. Trying to soothe the surge of emotions that spilled out with the words as Lorelai spoke.

"I couldn't have been more miserable. The stupid side of my brain is yelling at me. _Seriously, Lorelai, what more could a girl ask for? Take the rock! What is wrong with you?_ While the smart side of my brain, which seems to have been AWOL for the last. . Oh, I don't know, year of my life. Picks now to speak up and is chanting in an equally head spitting decibel. _You don't love him!_" Lorelai pauses for a moment to steady the shaking of her voice. "Jane's right, you know." She continues softly.

"Jane?" Rory asks, more than a little confused.

"Smart side." Lorelai answers simply.

"Of course." After all this was still Lorelai Gilmore.

"I don't love him. Not in the way I should. How did I let it get that far?" Rory slid in next to her mother on the swing. Her presence a show of solidarity.

"What kind of person does that? I needed to move on so badly that I didn't care to notice who I left crushed and bleeding on the side of the road. Christopher was blindsided, he didn't deserve that. . ."

Rory watches her mother carefully. She suspects that Christopher and the _he_ that followed were in fact two different people. Lorelai wipes a tear from her cheek with shaking fingers before looking her daughter in the eyes.

"And you Rory. How many times did you just want to shake me?"

"I lost count." Rory answers honestly.

"I'm sorry. I screwed up, so badly. I am so sorry. I feel like it's all crashing down around me and that's fine. I'll be fine. They're my consequences. I made my bed, I'll lie in it. And whatever other stupid cliché means the same thing. But, I won't be, fine. . If you and I can't . . . please, forgive me."

"Mom, there's nothing to forgive." Rory tries to ease her mother's pain away but Lorelai will not allow herself the comfort.

"Don't pacify me. I know how angry you have to be. . ."

"Mom, always. I'll always forgive you." Rory insists, her voice breaking. Only then does Lorelai wrap her arms around her daughter holding tight to the solace of their embrace.

"So it's over, you and dad?" Pulling back to look at Lorelai.

"So over."

Rory lets out the breath of relief. "Good."

"I thought you'd be disappointed and upset. I thought . . ."

"Mom, I am way, way over my Hayley Mills period. You and dad are bad for each other. He's like a virus for you, something you just can't get over. He infects your brain, causing outbreak after outbreak of heartache and stupidity. Each time messier than the last. That can't be love, that's not even like."

"Wow . . . and eww." Lorelai crinkles her face in disgust.

Rory flushed, realizing she may have said too much. "Paris is pre-med and there are medical books lying around the apartment all the time. When I'm bored I . . So the vernacular has kind of stuck. I'm sorry."

"I'll never watch House again."

"Mom, I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. It's just. . ." She pauses for effect. "Now you tell me!" Lorelai speaks with the dramatic air of the theatre. Rory's mouth drops open as Lorelai erupts into giggles. This earns her a playful swat on the arm. Their laughing together for the first time in a long time. Sobered by that thought, Rory whispers suddenly serious. "I've missed you."

Lorelai nods equally solemn. "I've missed you . . And . . I've missed me too. I'm sorry I . . "

Rory cuts her off quickly. "Don't be. I know what it's like to get lost along the way."

"Yeah?" Lorelai could fill her eyes filling with tears of gratitude.

"Yeah."

If Rory could truly forgive her than maybe everything was going to be okay. With that belief, Lorelai banished the tears and the guilt, at least for now.

"I'm bored of me, tell me about you." She smiles, giving Rory her full attention. Rory complies happily. She too had a renewed faith in their unque bond and expresses this by babbling incessantly about everything in her life that Lorelai had missed.

The house is prepared for a classic Gilmore movie night. Rory is sitting on the couch riffling through Lorelai's chosen movie selection, when she stops abruptly pulling one movie from the stack.

"Oh no. Mom! I am not watching The New World again."

"But I've never seen it." Lorelai whines good-naturedly as she enters the living room carrying a tray of jalapeno poppers.

"That's only because you've fallen asleep all 50 times you've tried to watch it!"

"I'll rephrase, I've never seen **all** of it." She slips the tray onto an open spot on the coffee table and plops herself down on the arm of the couch. Rory turns to her with righteous indignation.

"I believe it was the 22nd time that I even strapped you to a caffeine IV, illegal in all 50 states, only available in Europe, and you were still snoring before the end of the opening sequence."

"Ahh, I remember, that was good sleep." Lorelai grins.

"Forget it!" Reaching over to the tray and popping a popper into her mouth in punctuation.

"Rory! This is a critically acclaimed film, which rarely happens anymore." Lorelai grabs the movie from Rory as if to protect it. "Very important movie people agree that this is a must see. I am movie people, I must see."

"Critic's are the antithesis of a movie person." Rory points out. "You'd think you would take into account that your brain shuts down in self defense. While listening to the ridiculously somber, drawn out chords of the opening score, oh, I think it was time number 45, I was wishing we had that coping mechanism in common." Lorelai's obviously enjoying Rory's little rant. "Your annoying need to be right, yes, but that, no."

"But, Rory . . ."

"Lorelai!"

Lorelai sighs. "It's like in the Emperor's New Clothes."

"The Emperor's New Clothes?"

"What?"

"I'm just trying to connect the dots to that reference."

"Gigi."

"Oh, right." Rory mutters, kicking herself for bringing up a painful reminder of the not so distant past. Lorelai seems undaunted as she continues full steam ahead. "The king can't admit that he can't see the fabric because that would make him a moron. He's king, he can't afford to look like a moron, and so he lies and pretends it's the finest fabric he's ever seen. So, then his advisors have to lie and the queen and so on and so forth because no one wants to be the moron."

"So you're the king?"

"No, the critic's are the king, I'm the Queen." Lorelai gives Rory a look that clearly implies, duh.

"Mom."

"What?"

"The king isn't wearing any clothes."

"Fine. Pick another movie." Tossing the movie on the couch in defeat and pouting her displeasure, until the doorbell rings. "Yea, the food's here!"

"You ordered food? What's all this?" Rory motions to the junk food lollapalooza on the table.

"A snack. Where have you been the last 22 years?"

Walking towards the door. "Coming."

"Right, silly me."

"Here you go." Lorelai pays the man, while delicately balancing the Al's take-out bags in the crook of her left arm. "Drive safe, Ed. Thank you." Spinning around and returning to the living room.

"It's not often that I have my daughter to myself for the whole weekend. We're living it up. Flat out like a lizard drinking." Seeing that the coffee table is beyond full, Lorelai nudges the ottoman into place along side it and deposit's the food there.

"It has been awhile since we've done this, hasn't it?" Rory said quietly.

Lorelai looks at Rory, a sad little frown on her face.

"I'm just afraid I'm out of fighting shape, coach." Rory was eager to return to the lighthearted afternoon they were enjoying. She watched her mother's subtle sigh of relief.

"I have Tums's in the medicine cabinet." Lorelai informed her.

"Alright then, let's eat!"

After every item of an edible nature was sampled and the movie played unnoticed in the back ground. Both Lorelai and Rory were sprawled this way and that across the couch basking after their meal.

"So, how are things with Logan?" Lorelai asks prodding her daughter in the ribs with her finger. The only motion she can manage at this stage of digestion.

"Things are good."

"That's funny. You said good but I heard crappy."

"You might want to make an appointment for that."

"I hope you don't think you have to protect my fragile psyche because I'm fine. I can take it."

"Oh, I know you can take it. There's just nothing more to take. Logan's good. He's just trying to figure out his next move. In Vegas." She explains, with just a touch of bitterness in her voice.

"Good, huh? Are you sure. Because they say, _save the drama for your mama_."

"Ahh, yes. Bumper sticker psychology."

"Quick and economical."

"I've had enough drama, I'd take a good comedy any day."

"You're preaching to the choir, kid." Lorelai manages to lift her whole arm to give Rory a comforting squeeze, before it plops heavily back to the couch again. "Why did you let me eat so much?" She groans her face scrunched in an exaggerated expression of pain.

The following day, Lorelai and Rory are in downtown Starshollow enjoying an ice cream after a full day of shopping. In high spirits, Lorelai describes an event at the inn concerning Michel, while eagerly spooning bites of java chip into her mouth.

"Are you kidding? I had to give them a full refund. Let me tell you, Mommy does not like parting with the money."

"Better than a lawsuit though." Rory reminds her. Swirling her spoon around in the cup in an effort to savor every last morsel.

Lorelai considers this. "Yes, very true."

As they round the corner they nearly run into Luke and April. Lorelai manages to skid to a not so graceful stop, dropping her bag with an oof on the street. Embarrassed, she stoops down to collect it, being careful not to tip the ice cream in her other hand. The scene reminiscent of a tight rope walker at the circus.

At the same time, Rory loses her balance completely and has to be steadied by Luke, who just manages to side step an ice cream to the flannel.

April, who is completely unscathed and impervious to the flush on all of their faces, beams happily at Lorelai. "Hi Lorelai! I'm so glad we ran into you, I've been wanting to thank you for forever." Throwing her arms around her.

Lorelai's eyes grow big with surprise as she politely hugs the girl back as best as she can with two full hands. Sending Luke a quick apologetic look over April's shoulder, she manages to shutter. "Thank me? What for?"

"What for?" April asks surprised, releasing Lorelai. "My dad told me it was you who told him to take me to the hospital when I had appendicitis." Lorelai raised her eyes to Luke in disbelief. "I was being stupid because of a party I wanted to go to and would have ignored the whole thing. Which, as I now understand the science of it, would have been a very, very bad thing. You practically saved my life. Not to mention, the whole custody thing. You wrote a character reference for dad, Right?" Luckily that was a rhetorical question because Lorelai was too stunned to speak. "He said the judge was very impressed. So, really you saved my life twice. Not that New Mexico's not great. I'm just really glad I get to visit Starshollow." April finished sweetly, linking her arm around Luke's.

"How are you? The diner?" Lorelai asks Luke after realizing she was still staring.

"Fine and you? The inn?"

"Good."

"Your dad?" He continues dutifully.

"Better, much better, thank you. Driving my mother crazy, so perfect, actually." Lorelai can't help but grin at the thought.

Luke forgets to continue his end of their stilted conversation as he tries to remember the last time he's seen her smile. It's been too long, he decides, watching the curve of her lips and the sparkle in her eyes.

Rory, noticing that the conversation had come to a sudden stop, jumps in to avoid discomfort.

"I heard Liz is due soon, please give her our best wishes." Lorelai silently thanks her.

"Thank you, Rory. I'll tell her." Luke smiles and nods at Rory. Grateful for a reason to pull his eyes away from Lorelai.

"Luke, Caesar is refusing to make my patty melt just how I like it." A voice tattles.

Lorelai and Rory both jump startled by Kirk's sudden presence. They look around trying to figure out where he appeared from, the diner was still blocks away.

"I'm with my daughter, Kirk." Luke answers already annoyed.

"Hi April, If you could go tell him . . . "Kirk, as usual, completely misses the point.

"Go away, Kirk."

"Fine." He pouts. "Hey Lorelai." He says, just noticing her. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"What are you talking about, Kirk?" Lorelai snaps.

"I heard Christopher proposed to you, again. Third times the charm, eh?" Kirk grins conspiratorially, nudging her on the arm.

"Kirk!" Lorelai can feel the color drain from her face. She casts a frantic glance at Luke.

Luke's expression hovers somewhere between horror and homicide, he tightens his fists until his knuckles are white in an attempt to control his rage.

"How do you know that?" The moment the question leaves Rory's lips Lorelai winces. Her daughter has just unwittingly provided conformation. Rory realizing shoots her mother a look of apology.

"Congratulations." Luke growls, glaring at Lorelai. Inwardly cursing himself for only a moment ago being hypnotized by her.

"No, Luke . ." She tries but he cuts her off.

"Come on, April. Let's go!"

"But, dad . ." April looks back at Lorelai, confused. Then follows Luke down the street.

"Luke, it's not what you think. If you would just let her explain!" Rory calls desperately after him.

"Rory. Enough, forget it."

"What did I say?" Both brunette heads whip back to Kirk. Rory lunges for him. "Kirk!"

Lorelai's arm around her midsection the only thing stopping her from ringing his scrawny little neck. Kirk decides it's a good time for him to make a quick get away.

"So much for no drama. Where is Mary J. Bilge when you need her?" Lorelai smiles weakly, shifting the shopping bag on her arm and guiding Rory away down the street. Simultaneously they drop their happy ice cream in the trash can.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke managed to get April back to her mother with no further incident and without showing any signs of the stroke he was sure he was having. After pacing the length of his apartment an innumerable amount of times, he decided he needed a distraction. Something, anything to take his mind off what he had just heard. Unfortunately, Luke wasn't in any state to think clearly, which explains how he ended up at Liz and TJ's.

Liz is rocking in a chair in what is to be the baby's room watching Luke intently as he struggles to put their crib together. "And you're sure they're getting married?" She asks him clarifying. She just can't see Lorelai marrying anyone but her brother.

TJ who is working on the dresser pipes up. _"We've just opened Pandora's box."_

"Yeah, I don't know. That's what I heard." Luke answers, ignoring TJ completely.

"You need to talk to her. _It's important to keep the lines of communication open_." TJ advises. Luke just glares at him from underneath the crib.

"I am so sorry, big brother." Liz says gently, ignoring her husband as well.

"Sorry?! Don't be sorry for me. I'm fine. I couldn't care less." Luke snorts, while murderously wrenching a bolt.

"_Get real_!" TJ snaps back. "You don't look fine_. I didn't just ride in on a load of turnips_." Interestingly, TJ speaks with a slight Texas drawl.

"What?! Does he have to be here?"

"TJ? Yeah." Liz replies.

"She's just standing there, all smiles, talking to April like it's nothing and the whole time she's engaged to Chr . . .to that asshole. She asked me how I'm doing, not as good as she is apparently. Not that I care, it is the principle of the thing, I don't care." The whole time Luke is speaking the crib is shaking more and more violently.

"Yeah, so you said." Liz humors her brother, concerned both for Luke and for the future of her baby's crib.

TJ's only concern was keeping it real. "_How's that working for you? You can't change what you don't acknowledge_."

"Shut up, TJ! What is with him?!"

"He's been watching a lot of Dr. Phil. He thinks it will help him be a better father. I think it's sweet."

"Make it stop."

TJ continues. "_This relationship needs a hero_. Yes, she's made some mistakes and you have every right to be angry, but _no matter how flat you make a pancake it has two sides to it_. You have to ask yourself, _do you want to be right or do you want to be happy_? Choose happy and _you're gonna feel like John Wayne with a brand new six shooter_.

With a loud snap the socket wrench breaks in Luke very angry hand. Luke jumps up from the floor and advances on TJ to possibly end his life.

Liz steps in between them just in time. " I think what really makes you angry is a crazy as it sounds TJ has a point."

"The wrench is broken. I'll be back." Luke storms out the room and out of the house.

"Luke!"

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG


	3. Chapter 3

Its dusk, a crisp wind sneaks in through the cracks in the windows. A spectacular Starshollow sunset has just surrendered to the hillside, leaving only the straggling shimmers of red and orange light. Rory had left for Yale, leaving Lorelai free to settle into the big armchair with the latest issue of US Weekly, a cup of coffee at her side. The room is lit only by the standing lamp directly over the chair and the lingering light of day.

The sound of stumbling on the porch stair breaks the quietude and lift's Lorelai's head from the page. Many sounds follow in sucession, the clanking at the door knob however was the particular noise that changed the look of mild interest on Lorelai's face to that of not so mild concern. She jumps up from the chair the magazine falling at her feet and quickly tip toes to the phone, picking it up at the same time as she peeks around the corner into the entryway. A large shadow can be seen through the frosted glass of her double doors. In a unque combination of courage and stupidity she abruptly swings open the door, catching the intruder by surprise.

"Luke?!" Luke stands sheepishly on the porch the offending clanking sound in his hand, a screwdriver. Lorelai's not sure but guesses he was trying to jimmy the lock on her door.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for my wrench."

Lorelai's entirely at a loss. "Your wrench? I don't have your . . ." Uncomfortable and confused she latches on to her safety net, light hearted humor. Noticing the tool box at Luke's side, she addresses it. "Oh hey, Bert. How's it going? Long time no see. How's the family?"

"I'm missing a socket wrench. I need it. I have important things to build." Luke snarls, ignoring her comments to Bert.

"I don't doubt that. It's just, it's been almost a year, Luke. Why would I have your wrench? On the upside at least we know where your screwdriver is. My doorbell isn't by chance one of the items that needs fixing, is it?" She snaps back, her voice thick with sarcasm.

"I didn't think you where home."

"Do you buy that Bert? Because I certainly don't."

"Will you stop talking to the tool box!" Luke snaps then after thinking for a moment. "Don't say it!" He commands.

"I wasn't!" She assures him with narrowed eyes. "Its no wonder I chose the box, Bert is so much more personable than his owner."

"Are you going to let me in or are we going to freeze to death? Unless, of course you're expecting someone else." Luke hints accusingly.

Lorelai flinches slightly before muttering. "There's no one else."

She reluctantly holds the door open for him as he stumbles through, uncharacteristically falling over his own feet. Without thinking Lorelai reaches out to steady him. The threat of her touch only tips him completely off balance, causing an impromptu bought with the coat rack. Lorelai pulls the coat rack back off of Luke before it can get really ugly. She does however thank the coat rack for defending her honor.

"god, Luke." She puts the phone back on the receiver then turns to really look at him. "Have you been drinking?"

"Yes, yes I have. I was working on Liz's kids crib and broke a wrench. When I realized where I'd have to go to get its replacement, it seemed like a good idea to do whatever I could to make the experience more pleasant."

"Don't be such a coward. You and I both know this has nothing to do with your imaginary wrench. Why don't you just ask me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Luke maintains.

"Fine! You have my permission to search the house for your **wrench**, who has apparently been hiding out here for the last year. But hey, if it will get you out of here then any tool you find your welcome to!" Lorelai yells throwing up her hands.

"No, no thank you! I just want what belongs to me. I don't want anything to do with any unidentified hammer, pliers or wrench. Though I understand keeping track must be hard for you. Who knows how many ratchets and screwdrivers have come in and out of this house in the last months!"

Lorelai's face reddens. She manages to gather her jaw off the floor but does not manage to keep the quiver from her chin. "Wow, you are really drunk. What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you come here? Just to be a jerk? Take what you want and get out!" Lorelai turns to walk away.

Luke, who is already way over the line, decides to take another step. "I'm just saying. You don't have to get all defensive."

Lorelai enraged spins back to him. "Oh no, your right Luke! I can't keep track of all the equipment serviced here! All those busy tools on tables and countertops, under hot lights, the . . ."

"Stop! Stop it! I don't want to hear it!" Luke yells shaking his head of the images she had created.

"What? Your metaphor's not so fun anymore?!" She quips angrily.

"I can't believe you're proud of yourself!"

"Hey, you left! I'm not your concern anymore!"

"I left?! I didn't leave! You left! You cornered me with a ridiculous ultimatum, out of nowhere, expecting me to just roll over! You know me! You know I don't process like that!"

"I'm sorry, haven't we been over this?"

"You set me up! So that you'd have an excuse to jump into bed with **him **and still come out looking like a martyr! I'm just curious, was it a spur of the moment thing to sleep with him that very night or did he have a bottle of wine chilling for you?!"

"Shut up! You broke my heart that night, you insensitive ass!" Hot tears fell from her eyes fueling her onward. "You did leave, only it was months before that! Right about when you find out you have a daughter and don't tell me! Not for months! Until you're caught and have no choice! You pushed me so far out of your life that I existed on a different continent! I bent over backwards, front wards, sideways, upside down and which ever other way is humanly possible for you! Until I didn't even recognize myself!"

Luke tries to interject. "No one asked you to . . ."

"And most pathetic of all, I completely humiliate myself and beg you to marry me! You rejected me not the other way around!"

"No!" He screams taking a step towards her.

"You didn't want me! So, yes, yes I ran to Christopher because he did! He would give me what you wouldn't!"

Bam! The front door slammed open. Luke and Lorelai had long been screaming at each other, the sounds had alerted Babbette who in a worried fluster had rushed over. There she stood in the doorway mouth agape, a winter coat and boots over her night gown, fuzzy blonde hair flying, with eyes as big as saucers. Poor Babbette had reason to be panicked; from where she stood it did not look good. Lorelai's back is against the wall, she appears cornered and definitively under attack. Her face is blotchy, tears still fall down her cheeks, her chest heaves erratically as she struggles to regain her breath but more upsetting to Babbette than all of this is the look of profound pain in her eyes. Luke is opposite her a foot between them. He is in a similar state, his face is a deep crimson, and his whole body shakes visibly. However, Luke is not the cornered but the cornerer and very regrettably he still holds his trusty screwdriver. The perfect picture of the aggressor.

Babbette glared ferociously at Luke. "Lorelai sugar, do you want me to call someone?"

"No Babbette, it's alright." Lorelai responds shakily.

"You sure honey, cause Morey could be over here in two seconds and well he normally doesn't believe in violence for you he'd make an exception."

It dawns on Lorelai what this must look like and she makes a valiant attempt to fane normalcy. "Thank you but I'm fine. We're fine. You can go tell Morey not to worry."

Babbette is hesitant to leave her. "If you need anything, anything at all, we're right next door."

"Okay, thank you. Sorry for the noise." She even manages a smile.

Babbette sends Luke one last icy glare before leaving. Luke is dumbfounded by her behavior; both he and Lorelai remain frozen as the door closes behind Babbette.

"She's crazy. She acted like I was going to attack you or something." Luke finally mutters.

"Yeah, crazy." Lorelai shoots a wayward glance at the screwdriver in his hand. "Though I would feel better if you weren't holding a screwdriver during this particular conversation."

Luke drops the screwdriver suddenly aware of its presence. He looks at her shaking his head sadly. "I didn't want to hurt you." The full meaning of those words clearly evident.

"I know." Lorelai whispers noticing neither of them has moved. In fact Luke seems to have moved closer to her as if unable to resist a magnetic pull.

"Christopher?" He asks his voice thick with emotion.

"Luke . . ." She pleads with him, no more.

"Do you love him?"

"No."

"So your not en . ."

"No." She whispers. "Luke, I'm sorry. More sorry than I can ever say." Lorelai tries to wipe the cascading tears from her cheek but it's no use, more come every second.

"I know." Luke says gently, noticing a familiar chain around her neck he reaches for it without thinking. The touch sends shockwaves through her body. His fingers trail the chain along her neck for a moment then he gathers it in his fingers pulling the necklace from beneath her sweater. The necklace was the one he had given her upon his return from an endless summer in the renaissance, hanging from it now was their engagement ring. Luke holds it gently in his hand, a tiny tear falling down his cheek.

It's too much. He's too close. It hurts too much. Lorelai reaches behind her neck releasing the clasp, letting it fall into his hands. Letting him go. Luke seems to read her thoughts and takes a step back. It takes all the strength he has to do so.

"Good bye Lorelai." Luke looks deep into her eyes; his hand reaches out to brush the hair from her face then stops. It's too much. It hurts too much.

Lorelai feels the warmth of his hand just an inch from her face and stiffens her body to resist leaning into it. "Good bye Luke."

Then he's gone, Lorelai lets herself give into the racking sobs at the back of her throat and curls into a little ball on the floor.

Luke sits in his truck in her driveway, his head on the steering wheel, waiting until he's composed enough to drive. It's going to be a long wait.

Babbette stares out her window a phone to her ear. All over Starshollow telephones are ringing. Only minutes later the ringing has come full circle and reaches Lorelai still on the floor, on autopilot she picks it up.

"Are you alright?!" It registers to Lorelai that she hasn't spoken, so the tearful quality of her voice is not her betrayer.

"Sookie?" She pauses to process, and then it hits her, Babbette. "Oh my god!"

Sookie is frantic on the other end. "Lorelai, are you all right?!"

Lorelai can do nothing but answer honestly. "No."

"What happened?! Did Luke . . .did he really attack you?" Sookie's voice filled with disbelief.

"NO!"

"Do you want me to come over?"

"No."

"Can I call Rory for you?"

"No, no, no!"

"Lorelai!" Sookie yells into the phone exasperated.

"Sookie, I can't . . .I can't talk about this right now." Her voice breaking into a million little pieces. Lorelai hangs up the phone, rips the cord out of the wall and runs upstairs.

Sookie stands on the other end of the line, dial tone in her ear. Jackson appears in the doorway. "Is everything alright?" He asks.

"I don't know." Sookie responds sniffling, concern etched across her face.

"Well it will be." Jackson says as he wraps his arms around his wife.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG


	4. Chapter 4

A couple days have passed; the house appears the same expect it's the brilliant morning sunlight that sneaks between the curtains and spills into the floor. Lorelai comes down the stairs purposeful, her very stride measured to assure it give away nothing. She is dressed in the usual way one attires oneself for work especially if one happens to be a Gilmore. The only thing unusual being the rather large sunglasses hiding tired and bloodshot blue eyes. Lorelai grabs her bag, keys and cell from the table in the hall. Noticing the phone still unplugged, she bends to reconnect the line. With a deep breath she opens the front door and rushes to her jeep.

At the Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai attempts to sneak quietly in through the back door. Regrettably the back door leads directly into the kitchen, Sookie's kitchen and she is ambushed within seconds.

"Sookie!" Lorelai screams in response to being grabbed by her best friend.

Sookie holds her by the arms moving Lorelai this way and that, looking her over carefully. "Sookie? Ow! What on earth are you doing?"

"Let me see your face!" Sookie demands unceremoniously yanking the sunglasses from Lorelai's face.

"Ow! I would have assumed you'd want to see my face still attached to my body. Do the heads of airport security know about you? Because you'd be a real asset. Can I have my face back now?"

Sookie relents begrudgingly.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on here?" Lorelai asks setting her bag on the counter.

"No black eyes, no bruises . . ." Sookie mutters still staring at Lorelai.

"At least not when I walked in here."

"And we know your audio still works. Your fine. Right? Your fine?"

"Yes, of course I'm fine." Lorelai looks at her friend questioningly. Then the events of that night coupled with the events of the last five minutes come together like a puzzle. "Sookie, you weren't honestly expecting to find . ."

"Lorelai! Do you have any idea what people are saying? I don't know what I was expecting to find but I was expecting it to be bad." Sookie confesses her voice wavering.

"Oh, Sookie. That's crazy."

"Don't "oh Sookie" me! You drop off the face of the planet for three days! You won't talk to anyone! You won't see anyone! You leave some lame explanation of the flu with the night manager! I can't call you because you unplugged your phone!"

"Sookie…"

"Babbette said she heard the two of you screaming at each other and when she opened the door Luke was standing over you with a screwdriver! I know it sounds crazy. But you were AWOL and the evidence was piling up. I was really worried, Lorelai." Sookie finishes stifling her tears and wiping her nose with the corner of her apron. Lorelai smiles contemplating just how many heath codes she was breaking. Then the smiles gone as the gravity of the situation can no longer be ignored.

"I'm sorry." Lorelai begins gently wondering just how many times she is going to have to utter that sentence. "I didn't mean for you to worry. I just needed some time. I'm sorry." Lorelai leans in and gives Sookie a comforting hug of apology.

"It's okay. I understand, I guess. So all of that, everything Babbette said, was crazy? Like, never happened crazy?" Sookie asks.

Lorelai is silent as she shifts uncomfortably under Sookie's gaze.

"Lorelai?"

"There was a screwdriver." She says so softly that Sookie is not even sure she spoke.

"Lorelai!"

"He just happened to be holding it, it's Luke." Lorelai defends. "We fought. A giant, ugly, horrible fight. Am I missing an ear? I feel like I'm missing an ear." Lorelai notices the alarmed look on Sookie's face. "The punches were emotional only, I promise. Although, I wonder if it would have been easier the other way around." Lorelai sighs sadly.

"Honey, what happened?"

"I really, really, really don't want to talk about it." It was Lorelai's turn to have her voice break.

"I'm afraid somebody has to."

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Michel walks into the sitting room of the Dragonfly carrying an extremely large wine glass filled to the brim, he hands it brusquely to Sookie. "I told you we didn't have anything stronger than this."

"It was the last convention we had. They cleaned us out." Sookie says apologetically to Lorelai offering her the glass.

Lorelai lifts her head from her hands to except and takes a long sip. "That's fine. Thanks Michel."

"Yes, thank you Michel. I wonder where we could have found someone more qualified to serve beverages. Could it have been in the kitchen, where we have an entire wait staff standing around, waiting for just such an opportunity?" His voice rich with sarcasm.

"Are you finished?" Sookie snaps glaring up at him from her position next to Lorelai on the couch.

Lorelai shakes her head in disbelief. "It can't be that bad. It just can't. That's ridiculous. That's ludicrous."

"Oh, I like him." Michel gushes.

"Not the rapper!" Sookie admonishes.

"I know." He snaps back.

"I don't believe it." With that small statement Lorelai regains their focus.

"Believe it. I had to drive by there to have my lunch at Weston's, the place was a ghost town. I think I even saw a tumbleweed blow by the door." Michel's French accent giving an unque color to the old west references.

"Not helping, Michel." Sookie warns before confirming Lorelai's fears. "I heard yesterday that Luke handed the keys over to Caesar, in hopes of keeping what little business they have."

"I heard," Continues Michel. "That Luke won't leave the house for fear of getting assaulted on the street." Lorelai looks at him completely horrified.

"You did not hear that!" Sookie yells casting a worried glance at Lorelai.

" Well I could have, if I paid any attention to all the yammering that goes on in this town." Michel pouts then points out to Lorelai. "On the upside everyone just loves you."

"As if he didn't hate me enough, the entire town is persecuting him for my sake. It's biblical. I am the martyr." Lorelai sinks deeper into the couch wanting simply to disappear entirely.

"There's more . . ." Sookie says carefully.

"No."

"Taylor has called a special town meeting."

"No!" Lorelai pauses. "I have to go to that meeting. I have to stop this."

Sookie nods her head.

"I have to go to that meeting?!" Lorelai cries burying her head into Sookie's shoulder.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG


	5. Chapter 5

**I want to thank everyone for the reviews. Ahhh, you guys are the best. It's so encouraging to have feedback. I've had one question asked of me repeatedly and I hesitate to answer because I hate to blow an ending, you know? The L and L question, well let me just say this, I may be a drama queen but I am a huge fan of a big, fat, possibly a little fluffy, happy ending.**

Late that afternoon, Michel is engrossed in the books at the front desk when Lorelai walks by, her arms loaded down with paperwork of her own having chosen to throw herself into her work instead of back into bed with the covers over her head and a vat of Ben and Jerry's on standby. The telephone rings. Michel ignores it.

"Michel, phone." Lorelai prompts juggling the stack in her arms.

"I am busy." Michel replies without looking up.

"Michel!"

"Customers will cheer you up."

The telephone continues to ring impatiently.

"Fine, as long as you have my best interests at heart." The sarcasm dripping from her voice. "You can take care of these for me, right?" Lorelai smiles as she dumps her load of papers on top of his books. "I'd like those filed alphabetically." She adds as she picks up the phone.

"Hello, Dragonfly Inn." Lorelai sings into the phone while casting a look of triumph at Michel.

"Mom?"

"Rory." Lorelai acknowledges happily. Michel gives her an _I told you so_ look and she responses accordingly with a look of her own.

"Why aren't you answering your cell?" Rory asks accusingly.

"Oh! I forgot to turn it on." Lorelai lies as she walks into the other room.

"Do you want to explain your sudden aversion to the phone?"

"It's complicated." Lorelai busies herself with arranging the books of the inns small library.

"I bet it's not half as complicated as explaining to grandma why your home phone is also disconnected." Rory's voice returns.

"Oh no, what did you tell her?"

"That they were repairing the lines on your street."

"I love Yale."

"So you've said. Mom, what's going on? I got a really interesting message from Lane today, about you and Luke?" Rory cuts to the chase.

"Why am I not surprised." Lorelai shoves the book in her hand into place on the shelf.

"You didn't mention Luke when you told me you were in bed with the flu." Her voice gentler.

"Luke and I had a conversation. A very_ lively_ conversation." Lorelai answers as honestly as she is willing to over the phone.

"No flu?"

"No flu." She confirms sighing.

"Mom . . ."

"Do you want to come to a town meeting tomorrow?" Lorelai interjects.

"Don't change the subject."

"Believe me, I'm not. We can talk before. I can explain. You can yell at me for lying to you." Lorelai offers as she wanders into the kitchen and points to the carafe of coffee. Within seconds Sookie has a cup in front of her. Lorelai smiles her thank you.

"Well then, my nights free." Rory's voice once again light.

"When your yelling at me could you make it really dramatic and intense? You know, really over the top. That way I'll be ready with my fight face on when I walk in." Lorelai plans as she sips her coffee.

"So, it's going to be one of those town meetings."

"I'll buy you some popcorn."

"I'll be there."

"Thanks, Kid."

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

On the streets of Starshollow not long before the infamous meeting is to take place, Luke is walking back from Doose's Market with a bag full of groceries in his arms. He pulls his coat tighter around himself in defense against the chill, shifting the bag from one arm to the other. Luke muses to himself that it feels like snow that thought filling his head with one thing and one thing only, Lorelai.

"Pssst, Luke." Kirk whispers interrupting Luke's thinking. At least he's pretty sure it's Kirk, the man is dressed head to toe in black, from the hat and dark glasses to the tip of his trench coat hanging just above the ground. Yeah, has to be Kirk.

"Why are you dressed like that, Kirk?"

Kirk grabs Luke by the arm and pulls him into the alleyway.

"Hey! What?! Get off of me!" Luke yells struggling against Kirk's grasp.

"I can't be seen talking to you."

"Ah, geez." Luke groans adjusting his baseball cap.

"The town has it in for you, man. There's going to be a meeting tonight. You should go." Kirk advises.

"To do what?" Luke asks. He was well aware of the gossip around town and of it's consequences. There was a tiny part of him that wondered if he deserved it for all the pain he'd put her through.

"To defend yourself." Answers Kirk.

"The whole town should be quarantined. Illness like this should not be allowed to spread." Luke grumbles.

"Hey, I've got your back. Women who look like that are nothing but trouble. That vixen toyed with my heart once too, you know." Kirk commiserates.

"Goodbye, Kirk."

"We never talked."

"If only that were true." Luke mutters as he walks away.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG


	6. Chapter 6

The town meeting was already in full swing when Lorelai and Rory push aside the wooded door and make their presence known. The rumble of voices that could be heard through said door just a moment ago suddenly stops at the sight of the Gilmore's.

Rory squeezes her mothers hand in a gesture of good luck before settling into a seat next to Sookie in the back, placing her large tub of popcorn on her lap. From which she and Sookie immediately begin munching while watching Lorelai expectantly.

Lorelai gathers her resolve and marches purposefully toward the podium. The conversations begin again as the town folk stare and comment. Lorelai was sure that at this point the gossip mill had so spun itself that it was a shock for them not to see her in a full body cast. Annoyed she grabs the gavel from a shocked Taylor.

"You don't mind if I borrow this, do you?" She says, her voice sugary sweet.

Unable to think of a suitable response Taylor simply sits relinquishing the floor. Lorelai bangs the gavel with much enthusiasm until everyone quiets, then clears her throat before beginning.

"I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for coming out in support of Luke tonight." A unified gasp of surprise escapes the crowd.

"I wanted you to know that no matter what has happened between us, I would never want to see him hurt." Lorelai tightens her grasp on the podium as she fights to keep her voice from shaking. "The fact that this town, Luke's town, has joined together to protect him from heinous, ridiculous lies makes me feel proud to live among such reasonable and caring people." Lorelai pauses wondering if maybe she was laying it on too thick but at that same moment Miss Patty can be heard sniffling from the front row. Nope, just thick enough, she thinks to herself.

"You all right, Patty?" Lorelai asks feigning ignorance.

"Just a cold, honey." Patty lies, her eyes filled with guilt.

"So you can imagine how shocked I was to hear the rumors myself but I was sure that none of you would ever believe such things of Luke." Lorelai continues, however she is interrupted again by more sniffling, this time from Babbette.

"Babbette?" She questions innocently.

"Allergies, sugar." Babbette says wiping her eyes.

"I mean, how could you believe it? With all the wonderful things Luke has done for this town, for each and every one of us." Lorelai's voice catches. She brushes an unruly strand of hair from her face and is stunned to feel wetness on her cheek. Damn disobedient tears.

"Not cool, man. Not cool." Morey mutters sadly from his seat in the audience. Lorelai takes a deep breath and continues, though she is not keeping it together nearly as well as she had planned.

"I'd also like to thank you for respecting our privacy, knowing how hard this is for us, knowing how important it is to have the support of our friends. Luke really deserves that." Lorelai is aware of them now slipping rebelliously from the corners of her eyes; she wipes them frustrated by their stubborn presence.

"Oh, Luke!" Comes Kirks pitiful wail. She ignores this.

"That's why, I am sure, this meeting was called, to make certain that anyone who believed this gossip feels ashamed of themselves and apologizes to Luke." Lorelai finishes firmly. Sniffles and sad noises can be heard throughout the assembly.

"Taylor, the next time you call a meeting, you should make sure everyone feels up to it. These people are a mess." Lorelai advises sternly as she hands him back the gavel. She walks back through the crowd to collect her daughter but finds herself confronted with a sobbing Sookie.

"Sookie? You too?" She asks gently folding her arms around her friend.

"I should have known better. I'm sorry. Poor Luke." Sookie blubbers her face buried in Lorelai's shoulder.

"Ahhh, honey. You have nothing to be sorry about." Lorelai coos softly.

Rory smiles proudly at her mother admiring her strength. She kisses Sookie on the head then turns towards the door, Rory was going to make her escape before the crowd could recover enough to ask questions. Reaching the door she's a bit surprised to find it open, Rory had closed it firmly herself and no one else came in after she and her mother arrived. Once outside she is floored to find Luke retreating down the stairs.

"Luke?"

"I was just . . ., I was looking for . . something. They're busy in there, so I'll wait or . . . be back or whatever." Luke stutters uncomfortably as he turns towards Rory. Rory can't help but smile at a red faced and flustered, stammering Luke. He doesn't see it though because he is unable to look her in the eye.

"I guess I'll get back to the diner." Luke hopes for an out but as he starts to walk away Rory stops him with a quiet question.

"Luke, did you find what you were looking for?" She asks her tone full of meaning.

"Your mom, she's . . ."

"Really something." Rory offers carefully.

"Incredible. She's incredible." Luke finishes his voice loving and soft. Rory lights up at this compliment to her mother. She's full of hope for their future despite everything.

"Thank her for me." He asks.

"No." She answers decisively. Luke looks up in surprise.

"Normally, I would do anything for you; I guess it kind of runs in the family" Rory gestures back toward the dance studio referencing Lorelai's little speech. "but not this. Luke, if you want to thank my mom, then **you** need to thank my mom."

Before Luke can respond the noise of approaching footsteps is heard from behind Rory, she turns to see her mother slip out the door. Afraid of a moment of supreme awkwardness she whirls her head back to Luke and finds that he is gone.

"What are you looking at?" Lorelai asks coming down to Rory's stair.

"Nothing." Rory answers, grateful that at least she doesn't have to lie.

"You were wow in there." She says artfully changing the subject. "I bow to the master. I used to think grandma was good, but the waves of guilt you swept over that crowd were making Sri Lanka nervous."

"Yeah? Not too much?"

"Nah, they had it coming." Noticing Lorelai's raised eyebrow she adds. "What can I say; I've become bitter in my old age." Then after a pause. "I still care about him too, mom." Lorelai smiles sadly. "You did the right thing. In fact, I think you deserve a reward." Rory grins attempting to lighten the moment.

"A reward?" Lorelai tilts her head considering her options.

"Coffee." Rory states, after all that's a given.

"And chocolate?"

"And chocolate."

"And pie!" Lorelai demands upping the anti once again.

"And pie." Rory concedes.

"And Ashton Kutcher?" Lorelai grins happily, linking her arm with her daughter's and pulling her towards Weston's.

"I'll talk to Demi."

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG


	7. Chapter 7

**I hereby disclaim, I own nothing. **

**Are we supposed to do that every chapter?**

**I don't know, I'm new.**

Gray skies shroud the grounds of the elder Gilmore's estate, mimicking the slate of the cobblestone driveway, the severity of the high imposing walls and the somber mood of Lorelai and Rory. It's the inevitable Friday night dinner.

"Mom, its freezing!" Rory whines pitifully, and it was, quite literally, with the addition of an easterly wind wiping through the perfectly manicured landscape of her grandparents front courtyard, the conditions were indeed down right artic. Fact, though it was, the temperature was having no effect on Lorelai, she was on a mission.

"Rory, focus!"

The pair are leaning over the hood of Lorelai's trusty Jeep Wrangler; Rory in an attempt to absorb the last enduring heat of the engine, Lorelai to examine a sheet of paper that had been pulled rashly from Rory's day planner. The later had drawn, in a hasty manner, groupings of X's and O's and at the point of her frustration with her daughter had been pointing to one of the O's.

"Mother," Rory blusters in a tone Lorelai often used with Emily. "Come back to reality with me for a moment. Can you see how it might be difficult for me to focus on your scribbled strategy? It's in the form of a football play, drawn in lipstick, cheeky cherry, an appalling choice for your skin color, by the way, in 30 degree weather! Have you ever sat through one football game in your entire life?!" Her voice escalating to a rousing crescendo.

"Have you?" Lorelai questions calmly, lipstick tube still in her hand, her arms crossed in front of her chest while she leans gingerly on the side of the jeep.

"No!" is Rory's dubious reply.

"Then I don't see the problem." Whether it was the calm of her demeanor or the actuality of a point made that caused Rory to sigh defeated, even Rory herself doesn't know, Lorelai just has that effect.

"Continue, quickly. I'm turning several not so attractive shades of blue." Rory concedes as she pulls her hat further down around her head and zips her coat to her chin, making a very convincing show of Rorysicle prevention. To no avail, Lorelai's attention is back to her diagram.

"This is me." Lorelai again points to the lead O. "I'm going to run straight down the middle, pausing only for a Martini." She draws a sweeping line in cheeky cherry down the page as she speaks. "This is you." Lorelai circles the O second in command while Rory does her best to appear interested. "You are to distract and defend at all costs." She, in her very best impersonation of her daughter, demonstrates. "_Grandma, look at me. Let's chat about floral arrangements for my graduation party, the seating chart for the ceremony, what dress will best compliment my commencement robe etc. etc. Grandpa, look at me. Aren't I smart? Aren't I pretty?_ Get it? Anything and everything to get mommy to the end zone with her fragile, dangling by a thread, sanity nestled safely under her arm, ready to be spiked in sweet victory." Lorelai pantomimes the spike for effect. " Understand?"

"You're crazy." Rory utters shaking her head.

Lorelai looks at her daughter a bit panicked, her lower lip trembles as she speaks. "Rory, I can't. I just can't, I can't answer a million questions about Paris, about Christopher, about everything. Not today, not after the week I've had. Please Rory, I can't do it." As Lorelai pleads any remains of her façade falls from her face.

Rory caves the moment she hears the note of desperation in mother's voice. She puts reassuring hand on Lorelai's shoulder and takes the diagram with the other squinting at the page. "Which one am I again?"

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

They make it through before dinner drinks. Rory, feeling much like a narcissist, does amazing feats of conversational gymnastics to keep the focus on her and away from Lorelai. Lorelai in turn does her part by making sure her Martini glass is always in front of her mouth, no matter how Emily tries to bait her into speech. Richard is content to hear Rory chat happily about her life and upcoming graduation, his wife however has other interests, namely Lorelai.

It was at the dinner table that things begin to unravel, in a move pulled from the pages of 'The Art of War' Emily launches an offence against Rory. Rory immediately loses steam when her grandmother presses her about Logan, she begins to fidget uncomfortably in her chair, looking a bit cut off at the knees. A screwed move by the Gilmore matron, everyone knows Lorelai's weakness is her daughter. Underhanded? Yes, but in Emily's mind totally necessary, she in her own twisted way trying to reach her daughter. These intricacies of the battlefield combined with Lorelai's series of Martini's, replaced with an extremely large glass of wine with dinner, was a recipe for disaster.

"I don't understand?" Emily says. "What happened to that business deal Logan was raving about? He's left Mitchem's company? What could he possibly be thinking?" Rory slides further into her chair, to keep from answering she shovels forkfuls of what she believes to be an elegant rice dish into her mouth, although one can only guess.

"He's a smart boy, Emily. I'm sure he has something better lined up." Richard points out between bites of his Alaskan salmon. Both girls send him adoring looks. Oh, to be adored, even if only for a moment. Jealously pushes Emily forward.

"Something better? Something at all would suffice. But there's nothing. Rory knows of nothing." She snaps at her husband, then turns her attention back to her granddaughter. "Why don't you know what his plans are? You two should be preparing for your future. Oh no, your not fighting, are you?"

Rory looks frantically at Lorelai and the last straw falls into place.

"Mother, for goodness sake, back off! Logan's fine! They're fine! Everything's fine!" Lorelai snaps, setting down her glass forcefully. She waits for the consequences, all too familiar with the rules of engagement in the Gilmore household.

"She speaks. I was beginning to think you had contracted some horrible bout of Laryngitis while you were away. I'm relieved to see that's not the case, Lorelai. Strange though, normally it's takes an act of congress to keep you quiet and it can't be for lack of subject, you and Christopher just returned from Paris after all." Emily questions, subtlety not something she wasted her time with.

"No Laryngitis, mom. I'm just tired. It's been a long week." Lorelai confesses as she rubs her temple with the fingers of her left hand in illustration. This conversation had already given her a headache.

"Lorelai . ." Emily begins her tone softer but still questioning. It's only the question mark in her voice that Lorelai hears and she throws up her hands in surrender.

"Fine! Fine! You win! Paris was great. The weather beautiful. Oh yeah, Christopher proposed, I said no though. I don't love him. I'm still not over Luke. In fact, here's the kicker, I don't know if I'll ever be over Luke. Don't worry, mom. He absolutely hates me, so you're safe. Oh, by the way, I've been home for over a week and that whole phone line thing, Rory lied."

"Hey!" Rory interjects, but Lorelai's on a roll.

"I unplugged the phone, didn't feel like talking. And mother, I do prefer a plunging neckline because it drives you crazy and yes, it was me that broke your favorite Tiffany lamp not the maid and that dent in the Mercedes in '79, me too."

Emily chokes and sprays her unfortunate, ill timed sip of wine all over the table. Rory jumps to her assistance, patting her back as poor Emily gasps for air. At the head of the table, Richard to his credit swallowed his bite but remains frozen with fork mid- air, a paled look on his face. Lorelai, rant interrupted, stares in a daze at the new splatter pattern on the fine linen table cloth. She is more than a little shocked her self, she catches her breath and curls her shaking fingers into the palms of her hands before turning to her father, her face scrunched in a sheepish expression.

"Dad, you okay? Nobody needs to call 911, right?"

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

In the entryway of the Gilmore estate, Lorelai and Rory are quickly gathering their bags and throwing on coats, freedom a mere three feet away.

"So glad we had the plan." Rory deadpans as she stuffs an arm into her coat.

"Shut up and hurry." Lorelai replies pulling her own coat around her and throwing Rory her knitted hat.

"Lorelai?" Richard calls as he walks around the corner interrupting their escape.

"Oh god, Dad. You changed your mind? You do need an ambulance! Rory, quick, grab my cell phone!" Rory immediately begins riffling through Lorelai's bag in a panic.

"No, no, no. Rory, stop. I'm fine, fit as a fiddle. Lorelai, can I speak to you for a moment, privately?" Richard asks leading his daughter aside.

"Yeah, sure." Lorelai looks over her shoulder as she's being lead away and mouths 'help me" to Rory, who just shrugs.

"Dad, if it's about the Mercedes I'm sor . . ." Lorelai starts nervously.

"Lorelai, will you just be quiet for one moment?"

"Good advice. Where were you at dinner?" She is stifled by a stern look from her father. "Sorry, quiet now."

"Christopher is Rory's father and for her we will always be grateful." This speech begins to feel familiar to Lorelai just like the familiar knot forming in her stomach from the familiar sting of her parent's disappointment. She bit her lip hard to keep from getting too emotional.

"That being said, the man was never good enough for you." Richard continues.

"What?!" Lorelai reaches for a nearby chair to steady her self.

"Never had the conviction. Never had the backbone." Richard reveals as he paces in front of her, much in the manner of a professor at lecture. With the hand not firmly attached to the chair for support Lorelai pinches her arm. No, not dreaming. She tilts her head and stares at her father in shock and confusion waiting for the other shoe to drop. He comes to his point.

"Your Luke, on the other hand . ."

Lorelai grimaces. "You heard that part." Richard stops his pacing and stands in front of his daughter.

"Give it time." He says as if it were a matter of fact.

The irony was not lost on Lorelai_. Now, he approves of Luke, now that it's too late. He not only approves but prefers him to Christopher. Oh, when my mother finds out, well, let's just say, he better hope they did a spectacular job fixing up that heart of his._ Lorelai's heart finally catches up to her head. _He approves of Luke. Give it time_. Lorelai speaks sadly to the ground shaking her head all the while.

"Dad, that's nice of you to say but there is not enough time in the whole history of time."

"Give it time." He repeats gently, tipping her chin so that she's forced to look him in the eyes.

"Thanks, Daddy." Lorelai whispers, whether she believes him or not, this moment means the world to her.

"Richard Gilmore, Where are you?!" Emily bellows from the other room.

"I better go."

"Of course, wouldn't want to get caught fraternizing with the enemy." Lorelai teases warmly.

"Nonsense." Richard chuckles, but moves quickly toward the doorway. "See you next Friday." He states as he leaves.

"I'll be here."

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

It was late, it was cold and despite the lack of snow, forecasters had warned that the roads would be icy and therefore treacherous. Work, school, Yale, Starshollow, different schedules, different locations forced the girls to choose a cell phone conversation opposed to none at all.

Though Rory felt it was more her choice than her mothers, she was the one who had pushed. She supposed it was because she was afraid of not talking, of those instants when even she with her freakishly close bond could not distinguish the mask from the real Lorelai. Her mother seemed fine but she did 'fine' so well there could be an Oscar in her future. So, Rory would push if she had to, refusing to let Lorelai wear her mask.

In her perspective car, with her seatbelt securely fastened and the engine warming to a purr, Rory dials her mother.

"Hello." Lorelai answers.

"Mom."

"Why Rory, what a surprise!"

Rory smiles and plays along. "How's your night been?"

"My night's been great, but I'm waiting to pull out of the driveway and some person has blocked me in." Rory was that person.

"I hate that." Rory sympathizes while grinning.

"I know, so annoying." Lorelai grins back but neither knows it, being in two different cars.

"You're okay to drive, right?" Rory questions as she pulls out into the road, Lorelai just behind her. As they drive into the intersection the Prius and the Wrangler go their separate ways.

"What?" Lorelai asks incredulous. Her hands had stopped shaking by now, hadn't they?

"That was some mighty powerful truth serum you got your hands on back there." Rory points out.

"I'm fine, thank you very much. Dinner was a sobering experience. I could use some coffee though." Lorelai smiles at her daughters concern, if driving while talking on the phone, after being emotionally whipped raw at a Friday night dinner with her parents were an art, she was Michelangelo.

"Coffee? You could go to the diner." Rory suggests as causally as she can. Then she heard the screech of tires and a few explicatives from Lorelai through the phone. "Mom?!"

Lorelai had dropped the phone at the very mention of the diner and in reaching down to pick it up almost drove off the road.

"Are you trying to cause an accident?" She accuses after returning everything to its place. Car, road. Phone, shoulder.

"Mom . . ."

"The diner? Luke's diner?!" Lorelai sputters.

"You need coffee, the diner has coffee, you should go." The subtlety thing, she got that from her grandmother.

"Oh, right, because it's been too long since I've been thrown out of an establishment and I miss it so."

"Luke would not throw you out, mom."

"Ahh, Angel, yes he would. He would be well within his rights."

"Mom . ."

"Rory, I know you're worried about me and Luke, but you don't need to be. Someday, I hope, I can go back to the diner. After all, Luke makes the best hamburgers and coffee on the eastern seaboard but it won't be any time soon, Hon. Luke is still really angry and after that whole town thing, I'm sure, I'm the last person he wants to see walk through the door."

"I think your wrong, mom. Luke still . . ."

"Rory! Maybe, if we give it time, Luke and I can at least be friends, but I retain no delusions of ever being more than that. That bridge is burned, Rory. Okay?"

"It the sprit of your truth serum . ."

"Oh no."

"I have to say, that I don't believe that you're done with him. I was sitting in that dance studio, mom. What you did. How you did it. You still love him."

"Rory, I only did what was right, you said so yourself. It's what Luke would have done were the tables turned, it's what anyone would have done."

"No, not anyone. But your right about one thing though, Luke would have, for you."

"god Rory! What do you want from me?!"

"I don't know! I just want you to be happy."

"Honey, I am happy. I have an amazing and incredibly pushy daughter who is about to graduate from Yale. I run my own booming business, I have great friends and I live in a town that would tar and feather for me. I'm good, really."

"But. . ."

"Rory, so help me god, I am hanging up on you!"

"Bye mom, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye kid, looking forward to it. I love you."

"I love you too."

After Rory hung up, Lorelai clicked off her phone and tossed it into the seat next to her. In the cocoon of her Jeep, dark and isolated on the road home, she waited for the tears to come. The warm, salty wash to flow down her cheeks as it always did these days, usually in the most unwelcome moments. Guilt, anger, hurt, regret, a myriad of things all rolled into one manifested in salt water, the human body is a strange thing. But no tears came, instead Lorelai found herself feeling almost peaceful as she stares down the road enjoying the way the moonlight plays through the trees.

Is it possible that she's healing? That she actually believes everything she told Rory? Anything is possible, Lorelai smiles to herself.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning at the Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai is called from her office by a pleasant as usual Michel and in response to his usual pleasantness she made him wait while she gathered together the last of the inn's receipts for that quarter and shoved them in an envelope. When Lorelai finally does walk into the reception area, carrying that envelope, pieces of receipts sticking out everywhere, she drops it with a thud on Michel's desk.

"These are for you." She says haughtily.

"Someday you will pay for the sick pleasure this gives you." He threatens.

"Maybe, someday, but not today and I wouldn't get your hopes up about tomorrow either. You summoned?"

"Yes, some person is here to see you." Michel motions languidly towards the sitting room.

"What?! Michel! You failed to mention that someone, other than you, was waiting for me." Lorelai scolds, glaring at him.

"Did I? What a shame." He replies not attempting believability.

Lorelai glances into the other room, asking herself for what seems to be the millionth time, why she hadn't fired the infuriating Frenchman.

"That's not just some person, Michel. That's Lane. You know Lane."

"Whatever, I do not keep track of all the little people in your life, Lorelai. Contrary to popular belief, that is not part of my job description."

"Either is being a royal pain in my ass, but that hasn't stopped you." Lorelai snaps before she takes off to the other room to greet the very patient Lane Kim.

Lane is standing in the middle of the sitting room humming 'Icky Thump', her left hand drumming the rhythm on her thigh, her right holding tightly to a Luke's bag. The sight and sound makes Lorelai grin, you have to love this kid.

"Hey Lane! Honey, I am so sorry. Michel, didn't tell me you were waiting."

"Hi Lorelai. It's no problem." Lane assures. Lorelai smiles reflecting, she'd had the pleasure of watching two little girls grow into amazing young women. While Lorelai was looking Lane over during her trip down, well, memory lane, she remembered the bump, or rather, she saw the bump.

"Wow, twins! Lane, Rory told me and I am so happy for you! Oh my god, you are going to be so huge!" Lorelai squeals excitedly. "Beautifully so, beautifully huge." She adds quickly, making a face that broadcasted her recalculation. Yup, she had spent too much time with books these days, not enough human contact.

"I think, thank you." Lane says uneasily, wrestling with the mental picture Lorelai had inadvertently conjured up.

Lorelai clears her throat guiltily, changing the subject she points to the Luke's bag Lane is carrying.

"Making a delivery?" Lorelai half giggles, half cringes. "No pun intended."

"Um, yeah." Lane mumbles still picturing.

"Shouldn't you be sitting?" Lorelai asks. "Why don't you tell me which traitor is to receive what's in the bag before Sookie sniffs out a competitors ware because we all remember what happened last time and no one wants a repeat of the _Wooden Spoon Bashing of '05_. I'll make sure it gets to them, I promise. I'm trustworthy. While you sit, because standing for three, can't be fun." Lorelai rambles as she gestures toward the couch and then to add a final enticement says "I will make sure they tip you big, I'll play up that whole pregnant with twins angle. It'll be fun."

Lane can't help but laugh. "That's alright. I'm good, I don't need to sit." She says still giggling.

"Are you sure? You could start a college fund." Lorelai tempts.

"I'm sure."

"So, who's the deliveree to your deliverer?" Lorelai asks her curiosity piqued.

Lane stops smiling. "It's you." She answers gently.

"What? What's me?"

Lane extends the bag out to Lorelai, illuminating. "This is for you."

Lorelai shakes her head. "I didn't order anyth . . ."

"I know, it's been sent to you."

"Sent to me." Lorelai repeats dumbly.

"Boss's orders." Lane offers with forced lightness. Lane knew from second one that this would be no simple task, after all she was neither deaf nor blind and certainly from seconds five, six, and seven on when Luke took her aside giving her his specific instructions, so unlike Luke, being usually the _'throw it in a bag, get it out the door, make sure you get paid before the heart attack sets in', _kind of guy. Then there was the solemnity with which he said "Make sure she takes it, Lane," top that off with the way Lorelai was staring at the bag now as if it would recoil and strike her at any moment, so not your average delivery.

"Boss's ord . . .Luke?" Lorelai asks her voice cracking. Lane nods.

"Why?"

"I'm just the messenger or deliverer." Lane smiles apologetically.

Lorelai crosses her arms in front of her body, guarded. She narrows her eyes at the bag, her mind spinning in a million different directions, none of them good. After an awkward silence she glances back up to Lane with new appraisal.

"An adorably pregnant, irresistible, Korean Trojan horse." She says as if reaching an epiphany.

"Huh?" Poor Lane, confusion puts it lightly.

"What's in the bag, Lane? An explosive device, perhaps?" Lorelai asks accusingly. Lane sighs.

"Coffee and a danish, hardly the makings of a bomb." She says kindly.

"Arsenic coffee. Anthrax danish." Lorelai clarifies for her.

"Luke had me pour the coffee and wrap the danish myself. Probably anticipating this." Lane says motioning to Lorelai and her current state of suspicion. "So, you're in the clear, no Arsenic, no Anthrax, no explosive device, I promise. Besides think of all the explaining I'd have to do to Rory if I were responsible for your blowing up, who has that kind of time?" Lane smiles thrusting the bag into Lorelai's hands, it was time to make a quick exit. "Take the bag. You'll be fine." Lane reassures before leaving.

"Bye, Lane." Lorelai calls after her, her eyes never leaving the bag.

A gust of cold November wind skirts around the closing door and rushes tumbling into the room. Lorelai shivers, the chill waking her from her stupor and retreats, carrying the bag at arms length, into the kitchen, ignoring Michel's amused look as she passes through his line of sight.

"Luke sent me coffee and a danish." She announces abruptly as she walks through the doors, setting the offending bag on the kitchens center island. Sookie looks up from her work that statement having made its impression. "Luke was here?" She asks surprised.

"No. Lane."

"Hmm, smart." Sookie assess.

"Yeah, huh?"

Sookie dries her hands on a nearby cloth and reaches for the bag.

"No!" Lorelai yells slapping Sookie's hand. "What are you doing?! You don't just open it, not without listening for a ticking sound or the exhale of toxic gases or something!"

"Honey, you really should quit watching 24." Sookie advises as she reaches for the bag, only to have her hand slapped again. "Ow, stop it! You're being ridiculous." Successfully grabbing the bag, Sookie pulls out its contents and sets them on the counter, sure enough, it's your everyday, run of the mill, coffee and danish. However Lorelai has ducked behind the table in preparation for a blast. "See, nothing." Sookie smiles showing off the offenders with a wave of her hand.

"Yeah, well." Lorelai mutters straightening up and dusting off her pants. "I still wish I had one of those taste tester guys that protect royalty from poisonous assassination attempts." She pouts unconvinced of the benign nature of the offering.

"If it will make you feel better, I'll take a bite."

"Oh, yeah, that'll make me feel better, having my best friend and mother of two take a bullet for me. No thank you."

Lorelai leans against the island, her elbows on its counter, her chin resting on her hand. She and Sookie stare at the danish, waiting for inspiration.

"In your haste to dispose of the hazardous waste you received from the Asian girl, you forgot to put your signature on this." Michel says as he walks through the door waving the sheet under Lorelai's face. She grabs it and signs shooting him daggers until the moment when an almost visible light bulb goes off over her head. Lorelai's frown turns into a sweet smile, understand, that when I say sweet, I mean to say sweetly devious and she hands the paper back to him.

"Michel?" She purrs. "Would you like a danish?

"Oh yes and afterwards why don't I go to Mc Donald's and drink the grease from the deep fryer." He says, disgusted.

"So, that's a no?"

"Absolutely not!"

"How about just a bite?" Lorelai pushes, advancing on him with the danish in hand.

"Get away from me! You are insane!" He yells fleeing from the kitchen.

"Sorry, hon." Sookie laughs.

Lorelai looks at the danish in her hand.

"Tell Rory I love her." She says dramatically before taking a bite.

"Mm. good." Then quite suddenly her face sours and she begins choking and gurgling.

"Lorelai!" Sookie panics and rushes to her side.

"Ha, just kidding." She laughs, instantly recovered.

"You're horrible." Sookie admonishes pushing her lightly.

"Here, try the coffee." She challenges, handing her the cup. Lorelai takes it with a raised eyebrow.

"Mean." She mumbles the cup already to her lips. "Mmmmmm, oh my god, I've missed this."

"Do you and the coffee need a moment alone?" Sookie teases, picking up the bag to discard it in the trash but stops when it rattles. She looks inside to find that on her first inspection she had overlooked a card.

"Lorelai."

"Hmm." She murmurs still indulging in the coffee.

"There's a note." Lorelai's head pops up. She stares at the card held in front of her, not a card really but a folded piece of paper with her name on it, her name written unmistakably by Luke.

"And I was worried about the food." Lorelai sighs setting the coffee down and reaching for the note. She holds it in her hands for a time, fingering the lettering of her name its familiar twists and turns, her mind disappearing into memories too intimate, too fragile to voice aloud. Sookie diverts her eyes from Lorelai face, letting her read the note with some privacy. It seems like an eternity, Sookie fidgets on her feet, she twists a dishrag round and round in her hands, she lists the ingredients of tonight's entrée over and over in her head until finally she can take it no longer and blurts out against her better judgment. "Lorelai?!"

"It just says 'thank you'." Lorelai whispers, and indeed that's all it said; _Lorelai, Thank you. Luke ._

"Thank you?" Sookie repeats waiting for an explanation and when it was evident that Lorelai wasn't about to provide one, she asks "For what? What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

"Sweetie?" Sookie prompts.

"I don't know." Lorelai admits. "It could be a nostalgic thank you like 'thanks for the memories' or it could be an angry thank you like 'thanks for staying the hell out of my diner' or even a sarcastic thank you like 'thanks for ripping out my heart and doing a little tap dance on it', I don't know!" Her distress increasing with every possibility.

"It could be a 'thank you for saving my ass at the town meeting'. Sookie suggests.

"Yeah, I guess."

"What do you want it to mean?"

"I don't know." Lorelai answers a little too quickly.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Are you going to talk to him?"

"Sookie!"

"Let me guess, you don't know." Sookie scoffs lightly.

Lorelai glances down at the note in her hand, willing it to magically reveal to her what Luke was thinking and when the 'Jeanie' nod and the 'Bewitched' twitch offer no further aid, she puts the note in the pocket of her jacket and picks up the coffee.

"Is there any hope left that there might have been some Arsenic in this coffee?" She asks peering into it.

"No, honey. You'd have dropped by now."

"Crap." Lorelai laments.

"Lorelai . ." Sookie begins.

"I am happy, damn it!" She shouts, it would seem a random statement to some but not to anyone who truly knew her and Sookie did.

"I know." She says firmly.

"I just mis . . ." Lorelai's voice fades away.

"I know." Sookie whispers wrapping her arms around her friend in a tight hug.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG


	9. Chapter 9

It's Sunday, the day of rest and Lorelai Gilmore is doing anything but, the tried and true wallow, tried and failed meant that Lorelai was forced to take drastic and undesirable measures, a _To Do List_. Robbing a page from her daughter's book, instead of dwelling, she was running, the various mundane errands that get put off time and again, anything and everything to keep her mind from coffee and danishes and mysterious thank you's but mostly from the man behind them.

That's how she came to find herself outside of Doose's Market with every intention of buying groceries that, lets face it, were doomed to various stages of decay before finally being put to rest in the garbage can, that is unless hell froze over or pigs suddenly developed the ability to fly, but I digress.

Lorelai finds herself standing outside the market doing the very thing this early morning excursion was supposed to prevent, then again the non-wallowing had also backfired on Rory if Lorelai remembered correctly which she seldom did, Lorelai's thoughts had wandered to Luke. Her eyes glued to the diner down the street, a line of the repentant winds out the door and onto the steps all dressed in their winter coats and hats, four days later and the citizens of Starshollow were still braving the bitter cold to make their apologies to Luke. She smiles and shakes her head, the temperature brightening the pink of her cheeks. Lorelai was sure that Luke preferred the boycott to this outbreak of devotion. She can picture him adjusting his cap in annoyance, offering an 'ah geez', to every kind word before completely blowing his stack and having them all committed. Her smile broke into a full out grin as she imagines Luke in all his Lukeness, knowing that in a small way she still had a hand in driving him crazy.

"Lorelai!" Liz shouts with surprise as she steps from the market the door jingling shut behind her, a gallon of ice cream in tote.

"Liz!" Lorelai jumps, with quite some effort and very little grace she keeps the heels of her boots from skidding across the icy sidewalk, she feels exposed, caught, a little clumsy, the uncomfortable trinity. Liz couldn't know she had just been standing outside in the cold picturing Luke, right? For, how long? 10 minutes? Lorelai was gradually losing feeling in her fingers and could no longer say with any certainty that her nose was still in it's place, so yeah, about 10 minutes. Liz was not a mind reader but Lorelai wasn't taking any chances. She shook her head clear of any telltale thoughts and turned her full attention to Liz.

"Wow, look at you." She says recovering.

Liz stands before her clothed in a pink coat with fur trim and maternity jeans, if you had a cotton candy stand and needed a giant cotton candy sign, on which to write the name of your stand and then host high into the air to catch the eye of any persons and or vehicles passing by, then well, Liz could come in handy.

The very pregnant Liz chuckles. "Yeah, I've got my own area code."

"How are you?" Lorelai asks pulling her coat tighter around herself, still feeling a little bare.

"I'm great, except for the eight pound being waging war with my insides. I've had the worst cramps all morning, but I'm betting all I need is a little Ben and Jerry." Liz answers, rattling the bag with the ice cream. She then casually glances toward the diner. No, not a mind reader but it wasn't hard to guess who this particular brunette was thinking about once you had ascertained where her eyes had been focused.

"Cramps?" Lorelai repeats eyeing Liz's rounded stomach with some suspicion.

"This isn't awkward for you, is it? I mean, because of Luke." Liz asks.

"No." Lorelai answers quickly, then realizing her discomfort was obvious confesses."Yeah, a little."

"It shouldn't be, you and I are buds, you were there to save my wedding and now look." Liz smiles pointing at her belly.

"I didn't . . ." Lorelai stutters feeling an urgent need to absolve herself from any involvement what so ever in Liz's pregnancy.

"Would you look at that line?" Liz interrupts, pointing to the diner. "It's been like that for days, but Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday completely empty. I swear the people of this town need to figure out what it is that they want." She turns, looking Lorelai boldly in the eyes.

Lorelai raises an eyebrow at her 'bud', something tells her that Luke seriously underestimates his sister. Lorelai debates whether or not she can take Liz, taking into account the women's current condition, of course, when Liz's current condition makes that decision mute. Her water breaks, pours in a steady stream down the leg of her pants and pools onto the concrete street below her. Lorelai's mouth drops open. Liz stares at her in shock.

"Of course." Lorelai mutters under her breath, talk to the pregnant sister of your ex-fiancé and of course she goes into labor.

"Oh my god!" Liz gasps, her face contorted in panic.

"Are you alright? Everything's going to be okay. Baby wants out, that's all, probably heard there was ice cream." Lorelai says kindly, side stepping to avoid the puddle. She places a comforting hand on Liz's arm and asks calmly. "Liz, where's TJ?"

"At, at home. I walked here." Liz mutters, leaning into Lorelai as her knees began to weaken.

Lorelai's pretense of calm flies out the window. "You walked! Your like 20 months pregnant, was that really a good idea?!" She shouts, her hair flying in front of her face.

"Not helping! AHHHHHHHH!" Liz screams, her first full on contraction shooting pain down her spine. Lorelai struggles to keep her standing.

"Oh. A contraction. Okay, um how about Luke? I could run to the diner. ." She offers with a grunt as she maneuvers her arms around Liz taking on much of her weight.

"He's not there." Liz pants.

"What? Look at that line! How. ."

"Ceaser. Lane. Luke's with TJ, finishing the nursery." Liz says through clenched teeth. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Oh, god. Okay, Liz, we have to get you to the hospital. Now."

Between huffing and moaning Liz manages to nod yes. Lorelai pushes the hair out of her face and wraps Liz's arm around her shoulder, helping her shuffle slowly to the Jeep which is parked nearby.

Taylor rushes out of the market drawn by the screaming and the moaning and the panting.

"Oh, my. What happened to my sidewalk? When that freezes over it's going to be one heck of a slip trip hazard, believe you me." He squints accusingly at Lorelai.

Lorelai addresses him over her shoulder. "Taylor, call Luke! Tell him to get TJ down to the hospital, Liz is having her baby!"

"Oh, but ..."

"Taylor, for god's sake, get over the sidewalk!"

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Nobody likes hospitals; this could be said for sure of Liz who was strapped to monitors on a hospital bed, seven centimeters dilated, an efficient albeit obtrusive nurse at her side and interestingly, considering the circumstances, even more so for Lorelai who starred with dread at the hospital room door.

"Are you sure its not drugs time, because I think now is looking really good." Liz begs, she couldn't remember any pain at all with her first child Jess, truth be told she couldn't remember a whole lot of anything concerning that first pregnancy due to the wide array of 'drugs' she was taking, which may explain a thing or two about Jess. The nurse shakes her head reaffirming that the time for drugs had passed, karma sucks. Liz glares fiercely but being an experienced professional the nurse is unfazed. As she works her way past Lorelai she glances at her with some curiousness.

"You know," begins the nurse "the heat works quite well in this room." She informs Lorelai gesturing toward her coat and hat.

"Thank you. I'm fine." Lorelai responds stubbornly. Sure, if fine meant sweltering, she could feel the beads of sweat seeping out from under her cap, knitted and blue, a perfect match for the wrap sweater she had on underneath her winter coat that was beginning to feel sticky against her skin. Too many layers combined with heart attack inducing anxiety makes for a special brand of claustrophobia, Lorelai tugs at the collar of her coat, looking from Liz to the door, she had to get out, _now_.

"Okay, so, TJ and Luke are on their way and you've got a terrific nurse here. Everything's going to be just great." Lorelai says with a smile as she edges towards the door.

"TJ and Luke, ha!" Liz responds scornfully. "Are you leaving?!" She asks with panic as she realizes where Lorelai is inching.

"Yeah. I should. ."

"No."

"Yes."

"No! You can't leave!" Liz repeats adamantly shaking her head.

"Liz, I have to go!" Lorelai replies startled to have found such resistance, she looks again to the door before coming to Liz's side to argue her case.

"No! No, stay with me, please. Don't leave me with _them_!" Liz pleads latching on to Lorelai's coat.

"Liz! I would stay, but I can't. Luke is going to be here any second. I need to not be here when he gets here!" She appeals with equal zeal.

"Lorelai!" Liz yells, pulling on her coat.

"Liz!" Lorelai returns, putting her hands on the bed to keep from toppling into her. "I've screamed at him, called him various colorful adjectives, had his character defamed, almost got him beat up by my neighbor and run out of town, and that was just this week! I'm the last person he wants to have at this joyous family event!"

"No! You have to stay!" Liz is nearly hysterical.

"Liz! But, but Luke!" Lorelai begs, fixing wide eyes on the door as if it would open to usher in the apocalypse.

"Oh, I am so tired of hearing about you and Luke!" She blusters abruptly letting go of Lorelai.

"Will they?! Won't they?! I love you! I hate you! You cheated on me! We were on a break! Whatever! Get over yourselves!" Liz pauses to take a breath, another contraction on its way. The ability to rant in all circumstances, definitely a Danes family trait.

"It's like being caught in a hell where all they do is play Must See TV reruns over and over and over and over! Enough! No one cares! This is not about Luke. This is not about you. AHHHHHHHHH!" She screams the contraction reaching its peak. "Hello! Pregnant women in labor! I am in pain; she won't give me drugs and _you_! If I say I want you here, then you're going to be here!" Liz finishes with a growl, grabbing Lorelai by the arm and pulling her into the side of the bed, Lorelai's leg connecting forcefully with the bed rail.

"Ow! Okay, geez." Lorelai mutters resigned to her fate. She rubs her leg with her free hand. "Still holding firm on that no drugs thing?" Lorelai asks the nurse who has been looking on with much amusement.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

14 ½ minutes later, Lorelai is curled up on the edge of the hospital bed, her coat and hat discarded on a nearby chair. With her back supported against the pillows and Liz's shaking hand clutching her own, Lorelai tells Liz the story of Rory's birthday. Though Liz's face is still red and blotchy from the strain of her last contraction her expression is relaxed. She leans her head on Lorelai shoulder and listens contently. Lorelai stays her story for a moment, her mind quickly calculating the best way to edit her comparison of childbirth to straddling a crate of dynamite, no need to frighten the woman any further, but the solution becomes unnecessary as the door swings open and TJ rushes into the room, Luke on his heels.

"Are you nuts?!" He shouts at his wife. "You said you just wanted some ice cream! Give a guy some warning, I almost blacked out, Luke practically had to give me CPR, and I hate it when that happens!"

Liz sits up straight in bed. "What is with people today? How are you, Liz? Me? I'm fine, just experiencing the worst pain of my life! No big deal!"

"Do you really want to play that game?"

"TJ!" She snaps angrily.

Speaking of CPR, for once in his life Luke Danes was glad he was standing in a hospital. The unexpected scene before him stole his breath. Luke coughs in an effort to manually restart his lungs and heart, despite the sound calling attention to its owner Lorelai diligently avoids looking in his direction. He watches her slip off the bed to her feet and attempt to use this new leverage to squeeze her hand from Liz's grasp but even in the midst of a heated discussion with her husband Liz firmly held on. Luke can't help but smile as she twists and contorts her arm at every angle to no advantage. Lorelai sighs, her shoulders slump in defeat. She finally lifts her fearful eyes to his.

"I am sorry. I'm sorry. I was just walking to Doose's and Liz said hi and I said hi, and she was telling me that things didn't have to be awkward between us and then she went all Mt. Vesuvius all over the side walk which was of course, awkward and then she started screaming and panting, so more awkward." Lorelai explains hurriedly, her free hand gesturing a mile a minute.

"I had to help her Luke, but she won't let me leave. Believe me, I tried, but she got scary, I mean really scary like suddenly the Exorcist seems tame to me scary and. . . ."

"Lorelai." He interrupts, taking a couple steps toward her. "It's fine. If my sister wants you here than you should be here. It's fine." Luke says his expression and tone unreadable. Lorelai begins to hate the word fine with a passion, knowing it had many synonyms. Luke reaches out to put a supportive hand on Liz's leg just as she has another large contraction. Liz screams and clamps down on both TJ and Lorelai's hands. Luke jumps back in horror.

AHHHHHHHHH!

"Liz! Ow, Lizzy, let go! You have to let go! Pain, can't feel my hand, dizzy, losing consciousness . . ." TJ utters sinking to his knees.

AHHHHHHHHH!

"Ow, ow, ow, okay, okay, Liz, look at me." Lorelai winces. "Breathe. Count it down with me, okay? 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5. . . okay were relaxing, the pains lessening, the contraction is waning . . . good. Now you can let go of my hand, good. Your doing great." She smiles at Liz encouragingly.

Liz lets out a deep breath and releases both their hands. TJ falls to the floor in a dramatic heap while Lorelai takes the one hand in the other, working the muscles and stretching all her fingers to make sure nothings broken. Luke stands, hunched over, his hands in front of his face as if he were being pelted by something.

The nurse walks through the door and checks the monitor, glancing around at the comical picture before her. "That was a good one. Keep that up and we'll have a baby soon." She says cheerily.

Luke peeks through his hands. "Okay, well it looks like you've got things under control here. I'm just going to get out of your way. I'll be out in the waiting room, waiting, in the waiting room, out there." He stumbles over his feet as he backs blindly out the door.

"Yeah, you know, I think I'll just go and make sure he finds it alright." TJ says pulling himself up off the floor.

"TJ!" Lorelai admonishes.

"I think he'll make it. Your needed here." The nurse says pointedly.

"Of course, I was just going to make sure he got settled and everything. Okay, let's do it!" He shouts, two fists in the air.

Lorelai rolls her eyes and turns to Liz, the women was sweating and shaking and staring at Lorelai beseechingly, with another sigh she offers her hand back to Liz.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer **– I own nothing in regards to the Gilmore Girls.

**Chapter Ten**

Hours later, the activity in the hospital's hallway is interrupted by the slam of the delivery room door. TJ emerges; arms outstretched in an embrace of the world, on his face a grin from ear to ear.

"It's a girl!" He shouts to anyone and everyone susceptible to sound waves. TJ struts like a peacock in dire need of Ritalin down the hallway, his hospital scrubs swishing excitedly at his sides.

"It's a girl. I'm a father." He says pumping the hand of an orderly. "She's beautiful, just like her mother and I know how to pick'em." He informs the receptionists as he passes by their station. TJ glows with pride, in his growing exuberance he hugs one doctor, three nurses and a couple patients on gurneys.

"I'm a father!" He exclaims ignoring the protesting grunt of the man in the full body cast. TJ dances around the corner, practically clicking his heels, into the waiting room, narrowly escaping hospital security.

Lorelai stands outside the doors to Liz's room; she had watched TJ's antics with a smile, a shake of her head, a cringe, there going to need to up that poor man's morphine and another smile. The latter smile, of innocence, directed at the burly man in the security uniform.

She takes her time following him. Maybe, to maintain her innocence, the security guard still watched her though not out of suspicion. Maybe it was because she was tired, cheerleading the birth of an 8 pound 12 ounce baby girl can take a lot out of a person, especially if they never really got the whole cheerleading concept, having never been a big fan of the jumping up and down. Maybe, but most likely it was because of Luke, Luke was waiting in that waiting room and she just didn't know how to **be** around him.

Lorelai pulls off her scrubs and straightens her sweater; she lifts her hands to her head and shakes her hair free of a haphazard ponytail, then reaches into the pocket of her jeans, pulling out her cell and speed dialing Rory. She was undeterred by the answering service, because for Lorelai it wasn't really a necessity to have someone on the other line to have a conversation.

"Hey kid." She says into the phone as she ambles down the hallway. "So, I was walking through town minding my own business when who should I see but Liz . . ." Lorelai continues her monologue past a flirting security guard, past the nurse's station and past the man in the full body cast, whom she recognizes with a sympathetic nod. "…the streets aren't safe, Rory. I am telling you, stay in your apartment and board up the windows, unless you have an overwhelming desire to play mid-wife. Seen Dean's little sister recently? How old is she now? . ."

A minute or two later, she's still chatting when she rounds the corner into the waiting room. The chatting stops when Lorelai sees TJ wrapped around Luke in a giant bear hug, she stifles a grin and looks away, concentrating on her solo rap session.

" . .well you know how I've always wanted to explore a career in medicine or was that Patrick Dempsey I can never remember . . ."

TJ frees Luke only to trampoline happily on the chair next to him. He's mid-bounce when he notices Lorelai, TJ changes his trajectory, lands on the floor and rushes to her.

"You are the best!" He gushes, scooping her up in a big hug and spinning her around. Lorelai squeals with surprise.

"I don't know what me and Lizzy would have done without you! Thank you!" He bursts, returning her feet to the ground and planting a fat kiss on her cheek.

Luke pales, an acute, though admittedly ridiculous, jealousy coursing through him. He knows the pleasures of this kiss, the silky softness of her cheek, its warmth, the subtle twitch of her skin against his lips as she smiles, he can remember it all so clearly that he can nearly feel her, but more importantly, he can't, for the life of him, forget it. Shake it off, man! Shake it off! Damn TJ!

Jovial TJ, however, is immune to these pleasures.

"I am excited about my life!" He hollers releasing her and running off down the hall in the direction of his new family.

Lorelai stands in a daze, one hand on the phone, the other on her cheek where he smooched.

"Um." She says into the phone when she remembers she was mid-message. "I'll explain later. Call me. Bye, hon."

"I'm sorry, we're looking into medicating him." Luke mumbles lifting his hat and running a hand through his hair before returning the hat to its place. His face etched with embarrassment, more from his own thoughts than from his brother in-law's behavior. How is she still able to do this to him?

"Ah, don't worry about it. Couch jumping is old news, just ask Oprah." Lorelai quips nonchalantly, the nonchalance a sharp contrast to her tentative hovering near the exit.

"Oprah?" Luke asks, returning to his seat.

"Never mind." Lorelai wraps her arms around herself and glances into the hallway. Luke follows her eyes in the direction of the parking lot, he doesn't know a lot at this moment but he knows he doesn't want her to leave. He clears his throat and motions to the seat next to him. We were friends first. We can be friends again.

"They did great, you know, Liz and TJ." She says softly, walking over and taking the offered seat.

"Good. That's good." Luke tries to smile but it comes out more like a grimace. He sits back in the chair, feeling uneasy.

"Did the nurse advise you to put your head between your knees? I've heard that helps." Lorelai offers lightly, noticing his color.

"I hate hospitals."

"I remember." She says quietly, her mind drifting.

_**You don't look so good. **_

_**Thanks.**_

_**That's not what I meant. You know you always look good.**_

_**Yeah?**_

_**I mean you always look healthy.**_

_**Ok.**_

_**But you don't look healthy now. Now you look . . .**_

_**Unhealthy.**_

_**Yes.**_

_**Ok. **_

_**Oh, what? So I said you look good. We're not in fifth grade, you look good, big deal. Stop staring at me.**_

"Lorelai?" Luke calls for the second time.

"You won't hate this hospital when you meet your niece." She says returning from their past and neatly skipping over a reason for her absence.

"Yeah." He agrees. "I thought it would be good to give them time to clean her up. Put everything back where it belongs, you know."

Lorelai smiles at him. "Good thinking."

"Thank you. For Liz. For everything."

"Forget it. I owe you."

"No, you don't." Luke says firmly, looking into her eyes.

"The coffee." Lorelai remembers, finally sure of its meaning. "Thank you for the coffee."

"Your welcome." He murmurs intensely. Too intensely. Luke looks away. "Did the bomb squad leave you any when they were done?" He asks teasingly, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

Lorelai blushes. "That Lane, she's such a kidder." She says, waving it off with her hand. Luke raises an eyebrow.

"Surprisingly, yes." She affirms, changing her tactic. "They were very good about the coffee. The danish, however, never had a chance."

Luke laughs. Lorelai grins, she loves the sound of his laughter. Feeling that familiar fluttering in her stomach, her grin fades and Lorelai drops her eyes to her lap, drumming her fingers on her leg nervously.

Luke notices the rhythmical patter of her fingertips and remembers her hand in Liz's vice grip.

"How's your hand?" He asks placing his own over hers gently.

She starts, her breath catching in her throat, she looks at their hands, her heart pounding at a ridiculous volume. How does he still do this to her? We're friends. This is friendly.

"Currently, we're not speaking." She replies shakily, lifting her hand out from under his to stare at it with mock disapproval. Luke's hand falls from hers to her leg where it lingers briefly, his fingers sliding across the fabric of her jeans. Not exactly within the parameters of friendship.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He says, collecting his wayward hand.

"Yeah." She swallows. "Well, we've had worse falling outs than this and survived them." Lorelai finishes bravely.

"So you hold out hope?" Luke asks, letting bits of his heart trickle out onto his sleeve.

Lorelai shrugs as casually as she can manage, desperate to ignore the shades of a double meaning in his question.

"Yeah, well it's not like he has much of a choice, I mean he's kind of attached to you." Luke says quietly, continuing to play within the confines of her bit.

Lorelai stares at him, that one was a little harder to ignore. He can't know what he's doing, right?

"Right. Besides self amputation, which is messy not to mention painful, what's a hand to do? Complain loudly? I mean, despite the whole 'talk to the hand' phase, few people actually do." Lorelai sighs. Of all the stupid things she could say, amputation, talk to the hand, really, she cringes and rolls her eyes, that couldn't have made any sense at all.

"Right." Luke smiles.

"You should go. I mean, I'm sure everything is back where it belongs by now."

"Okay. **Let's** go."

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

TJ sits on the bed, his arm around his wife and one of his fingers in the tiny grasp of their brand new daughter.

". . .and as your father I'll be doing all the really important fatherly stuff." TJ says to Doula. "Protecting and such, cause your little, you'll need lots of protecting. A gorgeous little miracle." His voice cracks. "This is a changing day in our lives!" TJ blubbers. "Ah, geez. She can't see me like this. I need a minute to compose myself." He cries, running out the door. Liz smiles after him, shifting Doula in her arms.

"Lorelai, would you like to hold her?" She asks.

Lorelai looks back from the door. "Oh, I'd love to, but maybe Luke would . . ."

"You go ahead." Luke urges, settling comfortably on the bed near his sisters side.

Lorelai uncrosses her legs and stands from her chair. "Okay." She agrees moving over to Liz. Liz hands the baby girl to Lorelai and settles back into the pillows with the yawn.

"Hello, Doula. It's nice to meet you." Lorelai smiles sweetly at the little girl. "You are a beauty. Good thing, huh? Otherwise that name of yours could have been a problem." She teases winking at Liz. Liz smiles back sleepily, looking from Lorelai to Luke.

"I have to compliment you on your entrance, Doula. I've never seen it from that angle before." Lorelai looks up from the bundle in her arms to Liz, who is fast asleep and snoring.

"Look what you did. We'll let mommy sleep for now, but later, all bets are off the table. Okay?" Lorelai cuddles Doula to her cheek, breathing deep. "I love that smell. Baby smell. Bottle it and we'd make a fortune." She sighs, turning towards Luke to find that he was standing next to her. "She really is beautiful, Luke."

Luke reaches over and strokes the baby's head gently.

"Yeah, beautiful." He whispers huskily.

Luke isn't looking at Doula. His gaze is focused on Lorelai's down turned face. Raising a trembling hand he reaches for her chin, tilting her face up to his, needing the eye contact she was working so hard to avoid. Lorelai's eyes lift to Luke's, questioning him with the furrow of her brow. Luke steps closer, his thumb tracing the soft skin of her cheek. He puts a hand on her arm, so that together they support the infant snuggled safely between them. His eyes never leave hers. "Lorelai." The sound of her name on his lips shakes her. The short, shallow puffs of her breathing depriving her of oxygen. It takes every ounce of her will to hold Doula steadily. Her mind a complete fog, unable to formulate thought, much less question or response.

Luke slips his hand into her hair, his fingers cupping her head, pulling Lorelai towards him. Slowly he leans to her, felling the warm, moist exhale of her breath as his lips near hers. Her eyelids slide shut . . BAM! . . and swing open.

TJ always makes an entrance. The slam of the door reverberates throughout the room. Luke steps swiftly way from Lorelai. He leans into Liz's bed to steady himself, sinking shaking fingers into the folds of the sterile, blue hospital blanket. Just friends?

"I'm good now." TJ announces, unaware of the moment he has just interrupted. Liz, with eyes wide open glares at her husband and when he plops down next to her, she pinches him soundly.

"Ow, what is that for?!"

"Shh!" She admonishes.

Lorelai blinks repeatedly, as if waking from a dream. She robotically returns little Doula to her mother's arms, taking a moment to gather her heart off the floor.

"You guys do good work." Lorelai says, forcing herself to take deep calming breaths. "She's bea . . , she's wonderful." She cast a sidelong glance at Luke, who stares intently at the fabric in his hand. "I am no longer needed here, so I'm going to get going." She says plastering a smile to her face.

"Oh, Lorelai, are you sure?" Liz asks disappointed.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay." Liz accepts sadly. "Thank you so much, Lorelai, really. Thank you." Liz says, taking Lorelai's hand gently. Lorelai nods at Liz solemnly, her eyes glossing over.

"Say goodbye to Aunt Lorelai, Doula." TJ coos at his daughter, he looks up to find three sets of eyes staring at him.

"What? Just because Luke's an idiot doesn't mean the rest of us are."

"TJ!" Liz yells.

"Okay, so on that note. Bye guys. Bye Doula." Lorelai says quickly collecting her coat and retreating out the door without another look in Luke's direction.

Once outside the door, Lorelai breaks into a fast walk, hurrying with her head down through the hallway. She almost flattens her daughter.

"Rory?!"

"Mom, I got your message. I came as soon as I could. I thought you might need some company or at least some protection. Not that you sounded bad, you sounded fine but . .Oh" Lorelai wraps her arms around Rory and squeezes hard. "I guess I thought right."

"How is your schedule?" Lorelai asks when she steps back.

"My schedule? Mom, are you alright?"

"Remember our road trips." Lorelai begins, her voice high and unnatural. "Let's pack up and go, far away. I need to get far away, out of here. Out of town, out of the country, just out. Can you come? Can we go?"

"I graduate in a few weeks. I could only take a couple days at the very most." Rory considers looking at her mother.

"Mom, did something happen, with you and Luke?" She asks, concerned.

Lorelai can only shake her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. She wipes them bitterly. Great, we're back to this again.

"Okay, let's go." GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

**So…… Tell me, How does that make you feel? ******** I'm dying to know. Thanks.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11- Final Chapter

Disclaimer- Don't own. Don't affiliate. Don't profit.

Authors Note- This is it. This is where I shamelessly beg for the almighty review. The good, bad and the ugly. I can take it.

The door clicks closed behind Lorelai, a soft, inconspicuous sound that barrels towards and slams into Luke's chest like a fret train. He gasps for air, the impact sending him to another time, another place.

_**. . Why not, Luke? Don't you love me?**_

_**You know I do.**_

_**But I love you, Luke. I love you. . . . I asked you to marry me and you said yes. . . .It's now or never.**_

_**. . I can't just jump like this.**_

_**Well, I'm sorry to hear that. And I have to go.**_

"No."

"Luke?" Liz asks, watching him carefully.

Luke can't hear his sister. Not again. Not this time. He's on his feet. He had hesitated then, for fear of not being good enough. He attacked her with fear only a week ago, berated her with every bit of the anger and hurt that had been plaguing him for a year, but it was fear, the fear that he had lost her irrefutably, forever. It was fear now that caused his hesitation. Just friends. He's an idiot. Just friends, was just a euphemism for scared shitless. No more. Luke would no longer be ruled by fear.

He looks from the door to Liz. "Liz . . ."

"Go to her, big brother." She urges.

"Yeah and try not to screw it up this time." Adds TJ. "Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it."

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Luke runs down the hallway and out the double doors of St. Joseph hospital, skidding to a stop on the sidewalk. He surveys the parking lot. Through the falling snow, he sees Lorelai's Jeep pull out onto the road. Without a moment's hesitation, Luke takes off, running towards his truck. GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

It's a red light. Rory shifts in the passenger's seat; Luke's Diner fills the frame of her window, the scraping of windshield wipers across icy glass a metronome for her heart, she looks away sorrowfully. If her heart was heavy and raw and sad then. . . .

"Mom . . ."

"_**Some things are just never meant to be, no matter how much we wish they were**_."

Rory nods sadly and gives Lorelai a small empathic smile. "We could stop by Al's, fuel up for a night of packing."

"Sounds good. I'm starving. Oh, and I think I have some of that chocolate cake you love in the freezer."

"Mmmmm."

It's a green light; Lorelai drives the Jeep into the intersection. Without warning, a truck pulls out in front of her, blocking the road. Lorelai is forced to slam on the brakes. The brakes screech, protesting the abuse. The wheels spin, frantically searching for traction on the snow covered street. The Jeep skids and twists, before shuttering to a stop within inches of the other vehicle.

"Are you alright?" Lorelai asks Rory breathlessly; her left hand gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white, her right hand held out in front of her daughter protectively.

"I'm alright." Rory answers, her eyes focused in disbelief on the familiar green truck in front of them. "Mom, what exactly happened at that hospital?!"

Lorelai shakes her head, her own eyes locked in astonishment on the vehicle and its owner. Luke.

Luke jumps out of the truck and stomps purposefully towards the driver's side window. Horns are blaring. People are shouting. A crowd is gathering.

"Luke?!" Lorelai yells, slamming the window down. "Okay! I get it! The whole town _gets _why you'd have the desire to _run me off the road_! But _Rory_, Luke?! Do you _seriously_ have that much faith in my driving ability?!"

"You ignored me for fifteen miles, Lorelai. Now I have your attention." He says blunt and matter of fact as he scans the girls to make sure they're not hurt.

"Ignored you?! I didn't see you, Luke. I mean, it's not like I'd expect you to come after me." Lorelai retorts smugly.

"Get out of the car!"

"Are you out of your mind!?"

"Yes! _Get out_ of the car!" Luke opens the door and pulls her from the cabin, slamming the door behind her.

Rory watches helplessly. "You're in the middle of the road!"

"Luke?! What are you doing?" Lorelai snaps yanking her arm from his grasp.

Luke's face relaxes, he smiles as he remembers another _moment _when she had uttered those same words.

"What am I doing?" He asks her suggestively.

Lorelai blushes, dropping her eyes to the slush and snow beneath her feet. She too remembers. Lorelai shakes her head at the pavement, wrapping her coat around herself tightly. It's too much. It hurts too much.

"Lorelai . . ." He says softly reaching out to lift her chin. "I love you. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I want this."

"No, you don't, you . . ." She begins, shaking her head, stepping back from his touch.

"I want you and me and Rory and April. I _want _our middle." Luke takes her hand only to have her pull it away. Lorelai backs herself into the Jeep in an effort to put distance between them.

"But Chris . . ." She insists her bottom lip quivering.

"Nothing else matters." Luke vows, closing the gap.

"No. _It hurts too much, Luke_." She whispers fervently.

"_This_ hurts too much." He reasons grabbing her gently by her arms. "Lorelai, I've tried but I just can't _be_without you. _I need_ _you_." Luke pleads his voice breaking. Lorelai stares back into his eyes loving and sure, intensely blue like the sea before a storm and she crumbles, her tremendous resolve falling to pieces around her. Lorelai's whole body shakes as she cries. Luke gathers her in his arms, breathing in the scent of her hair, cooing in her ear, calming her.

"_Shhh. Shhh_. I am never letting you walk away from me again." He whispers, pulling her even tighter to him. Lorelai sinks into the embrace and then steps back to look at him.

"Never ever?" She questions on an exhale, visible in the freezing air.

"Never ever." He promises, wiping a snowflake from her eyelash.

Lorelai beams so bright that it warms them both. "Hmm, you have it bad for me, Luke Danes." She teases a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I am like water to your desert wanderer, like oxygen to your drowning man, like . . ."

Luke puts a finger to her lips.

"Yes. You are." He says solemnly.

"Me too. You are to me too." Lorelai whispers, all the playfulness gone from her expression.

Luke's eyes gaze hungrily at her lips; with a calloused fingertip he traces the outline of her mouth. She shivers and though it is twenty-nine degrees outside, it's not because of the cold. Luke pulls her closer to him, burying his face in her dark chocolate curls. She sighs blissfully, wrapping her arms around him, finding the warmth of his flannel shirt beneath his jacket.

"I missed you so much." Luke murmurs into her ear. He brushes his lips with tantalizing slowness from the nape of her neck up across her cheek to her mouth, where they unite with hers. The kiss of a man denied this sweet intimacy for over a year. Lorelai forgets her own name. She is unaware of everything but his touch, his hands pressing the small of her back, climbing into her hair, holding her. She trembles against him, her arms circling his neck.

"Me too." She mumbles into his mouth with stolen breath. Pressing her body into his, Lorelai kisses him with the amassed intensity of every one of the 365 some odd days that he was missed. It's Luke's turn to forget his name.

Inside the Jeep, Rory sits on her knees sideways in her seat, her long legs curled under her, her arm wrapped around the headrest. A headrest that had suffered some abuse of late, it had been clutched, strangled, shook, tearstained and finally hugged as Rory traveled Lorelai's emotions along with her. It was time to de-board that particular train. Rory _had_ been smiling dreamily at the couple outside, her eyes glistening. She _had_ been thinking happy thoughts, so many, in fact, that had there been some fairy dust she could have circled the earth thrice over. _Had_, past tense. The goofy grin has since fallen from her face. She _had_ been thinking how wonderful it was that she could witness this moment, the culmination of one of Starshollow's great love stories, but now, suddenly, she wasn't.

Luke pulls his mouth from Lorelai's; between ragged breaths he lavishes luxuriant kisses along her jaw line, advancing leisurely down her neck. He walks further into her, pushing her against the side of the Jeep, just needing to be closer. The Jeep rocks almost imperceptivity on its wheels.

Rory starts and looks quickly away, her eyes fixed on some remote corner of the Jeep's cabin. She blushes, twists her legs out from under her and slides into the seat facing forward. It was impossible not to notice that only minutes ago, there had been noise and a lot of it, the growing rumble of motorists, cars honking, their drivers shouting and complaining. Gossiper's gossiping. The clamor of the diner emptying as people risked the cold to see what was going on. But now, you could drop a pin. It was that quiet. The attention lay elsewhere. Rory could guess where. Actually, it wasn't really a guess at all, more like a certainty. The Jeep shifts again and through its very thin walls, Rory can hear Lorelai moan softly.

"Oh no." Rory's mouth drops. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no." She clamps her eyes shut, covers her face with a hand, as an extra precaution, and scrambles out of the Jeep. Once safely outside the Jeep, Rory opens her eyes and takes a look around, Starshollow chaos, complete with Kirk selling hot chocolate and popcorn from the kiosk in the town square. How in the hell? Oh no, this has to stop.

"There's nothing to see here." Rory advises a group firmly, ushering them away down the street. "Move on."

"Parental controls!" She shouts admonishing the mother of a gawking little boy.

"Lane!" Rory waves spotting her friend outside the diner.

Lane jumps. "god, you scared me. I thought you were Mrs. Kim."

"I sound like your mother to you." Rory asks annoyed.

"When I'm doing something I think I shouldn't, every voice sounds like my mothers."

"Keep walking. That's right, you too. Have some respect." Lane yells over Rory's shoulder to a couple of overly interested tourists. Luke's people skills seem to be rubbing off on her.

"I feel dirty, like watching Cinemax at night dirty." Lane admits to Rory, her hands on her hips, her eyes wandering back towards the far side of the Jeep.

"Lane!" Rory bellows. "That is my _mother_. I can not_ be seeing this_!" She covers both eyes with her hands again. "I'm going to have to call my therapist, he is going to have a field day with this!"

"We need to stop them, right?" Lane asks. "Or take notes." She adds smartly.

"Lane!" Rory snaps.

"Alright, come on." Lane grabs Rory by the hand and leads her around the hood of the jeep. She clears her throat once, twice, still nothing. "Lorelai?" No response, Lane sighs and tries again. "Luke!" Lane taps him firmly on the shoulder, still holding a blinded Rory by the hand.

Luke pulls away from Lorelai, instantly forgetting the reason for his stay, caught up in her gaze. She stares, her eyebrow cocked in confusion, her mouth formed in a disappointed pout. Why did he stop? Lorelai takes a deep breath refilling her lungs with oxygen, her eyes shift from Luke's over his shoulder to Lane and Rory and all of Starshollow. Oh my god.

She blinks, her face burning. "Hi Lane." Lorelai mumbles turning 153 shades of scarlet.

"Lane?" Luke questions dazed and confused. Lorelai nods and pushes his shoulder lightly so that Luke pivots to the right, as he does he takes in every detail.

"Aw geez."

"Hey Boss. Hi Lorelai." Lane replies clearly amused. "As happy as I am for you and I am really, really so happy, the whole town is happy, actually. I just thought that maybe you might like to continue your um, _reunion_ somewhere a little more private." She suggests with a smirk. "Rory, relax, its fine. Every article of clothing's in its place." Lane says cheerfully, tugging on Rory's arm. Rory unclamps her eyes cautiously, lifting her hand from her face finger by finger.

"Drama Queen." Lorelai accuses with a guilty smile.

"Me!?" Rory asks incredulous. "You! The phrase 'get a room' has not had such an applicable moment! And Luke, with your stanch position against public displays of affection, my how the mighty have fallen! It's like the presidential debates of '04 all over again!"

"Hey Rory." Lorelai interrupts.

"What."

"I'm happy."

"I can see that." Rory smiles rolling her eyes. Noticing the way Luke is starring at her mother adoringly, she wraps him in a hug. "Thank you, Luke." Rory whispers mid-squeeze.

"Thank you, Rory." He whispers back.

Luke looks out over the chaos and threads his fingers into Lorelai's. "Come on!" He says suddenly, pulling Lorelai after him by the hand.

"Luke! Where are you going? Hey, Lane said more private, there couldn't be anywhere less then the center of town. You do know I own an Inn right? Not to mention your apartment, the house. Hell even the counter in the diner is more private than this." Lorelai rambles merrily as she's practically dragged across the snow covered street toward the square.

"That's what I want." Rory tells Lane with a contented sigh as she watches them. "A love like that. I don't want to settle, anything less just isn't worth moving to California for, you know."

"Yeah, I think I do." Lane answers looping her arm around Rory's.

Luke stops short in front of Kirk's makeshift refreshment stand, causing Lorelai to run into the back of him.

"Oof, _Luke_." She complains loudly on impact.

Kirk was just finishing up a sale. "Andrew?" Luke glares.

"I was just getting some hot coco, its cold out here, Luke." Andrew defends backing away.

"I'll deal with you later." Luke growls at Kirk, walking off in the direction of the gazebo.

"Kirk. Andrew. Lovely weather we're having, perfect for hot chocolate." Lorelai calls back to them breathless, Luke is moving at quite a clip.

"Lorelai!"

"What?!"

"Don't encourage them!"

"Please they're harmless, plus I might want some hot chocolate later and it'll pay to be on good terms with the proprietor."

"If you want hot chocolate then I'll make you hot chocolate."

"Dirty."

Luke laughs unable to pretend annoyance any longer. "Not even."

He argues, squeezing her hand and smiling back at her, all the while not slowing his pace.

"A little." Lorelai returns. "Where are we going?"

"We're almost there."

"Is there hot chocolate?"

"Babbette. Miss Patty. How are you enjoying your popcorn?" Lorelai asks as she's pulled past the two women who are sitting under a blanket on a bench next to the gazebo.

"Immensely." Miss Patty says dirtily, popping a kernel into her mouth.

"Wishing is was a cigarette, sugar." Answers Babbette with a knowing smile.

"Ohh! I'm wearing heels, Luke!" Lorelai says as she's dragged up the stairs. Damn boots. "Where is the fire?" She pants dramatically.

Luke stops in the middle of the gazebo positioning her across from him. He takes out his wallet and carefully pulls their engagement ring out from the folds.

"Oh." She exhales softly.

Luke takes both her hands and drops to one knee. Her hands tremble in his, as Luke stares deep into her eyes.

"Lorelai Gilmore. Will you marry me?" Lorelai takes a sharp breath, her heart jumps.

"Say yes and I'll drag Reverend Skinner out of his church by his collar and demand to be married on this spot or I'll wait as long as you need, long enough for you to plan the dream wedding you deserve or I'll pack up my truck way beyond manufactures recommendations and elope with you anywhere on a map."

Lorelai shudders, tears slipping down her cheek at the painful memory turned heart felt declaration.

"Anything you ask I'll do. If you will just say yes."

Luke's kneeling before her in their gazebo, his eyes glistening with emotion. The chatter of their crazy, loveable town around them. And snow. Oh my god, it's snowing. This is her perfect moment. No questions. No doubts. No crazy voices shouting in her head. Lorelai sinks to her knees in front of him.

"Yes." She answers. "A thousand, million, billion times, yes."

"What did she say?!" Screams Gypsy.

"She said yes!" Shouts Babbette, there's a cheer from the crowd.

Rory squeals and hugs Lane.

"What in the name of all things holy is going on here? Will somebody please move these vehicles?" Taylor yells finally appearing from the market.

Lorelai is smiling so hard her cheeks hurt, she watches as Luke slides the ring onto her finger, and then takes his face in her hands, leaning to him.

"_**Really? You're going to kiss me now**_?" He says smiling wide.

Lorelai giggles. "_**That is so incredibly predictable**_." They say in unison as their lips meet.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

How did you like this story?


End file.
